Harry Daniels and the Order of Shadows Bk 3
by blade625
Summary: Harry Daniels is back for his third year at Hogwarts and this year he has more drama with his old family and Dumbles in particular. He and Hermione are joined with a few more friends and they have new threats this year with new enemies.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. I only play in the universe. Any**

**ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 1

It was halfway through the first week of summer when Harry Jackson Daniels, disowned twin brother of Chris Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, walked out of a shadow in the meeting room of the Order of The Shadow Walkers. He immediately saw his friends Miku and Jammel, standing with the Shadows of Japan, India, China, U.S., Mexico, and most of the other countries that he had visited over the years. When he arrived, they all turned to look at him, stiffening as if sensing something foul in the air.

Harry took a small black book from a pocket in his leather jacket and tossed it on the table, "We have a problem. That was at Hogwarts and possessed two students and set a basilisk on the school."

At this, most of those gathered shifted uneasily. Japan picked up the seemingly innocuous book and flipped it over.

"It belonged to Voldemort. I found out his history and know almost everything there is to know about him, except how he is still around. I think that has something to do with it."

Japan nodded and said, "This is true. This is a Horcrux."

Harry's eyes narrowed, "He wouldn't be that stupid would he?"

Miku asked, "Could you elaborate for those of us that don't know almost everything there is to know about Defence Against, and the use of, the Dark Arts?"

Harry explained, "A Horcrux is one of the darkest types of magic that anyone can perform. It literally requires the person to rip a piece of their soul off of the whole and hide it in an item to tie them to this plane of existence. I've never seen one before, only read about them."

China shook his head, "No, that is not true. What we removed from you when you first came to us; that was a Horcrux as well, however, it was much weaker than this." He held the book up, "I would say this was his first and the one we removed from you was the last he made, possibly even an accident, due to an unstable soul."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "That bastard put one of those things in me?"

China nodded. "Yes. Never before have I heard of someone making more than two. He truly is insane. The more pieces you rip away, the less stable your soul becomes. The one that was found in you was probably a mistake, a rogue piece that came loose when you destroyed him. It would have latched onto you because it sensed that you were more powerful than your brother."

Harry thought for a few minutes while the rest continued talking about Horcruxes and Voldemort in general. When someone asked how many they thought he had made, Harry had an answer.

"Seven. If the soul could be split that many times, that is the amount that he made. From what I studied about him, he was mainly interested in two things: Founders' items and power. Seven is said to be the most powerful magical number, so it stands to reason that he would make that many. You already destroyed the one in me, now we have the diary, which means that there are only five left. Or six, if he never meant to make the one in me. If that's the case, he will most likely try and make another as soon as he gets a new body."

Jammel said, "Well, he gave that book to that Malfoy guy, so there may be a chance that he gave it to another of his followers for safe keeping."

Harry nodded, "Since most British Magicals are idiots, the most likely place they put it would be Gringotts, where they trust goblins to guard their valuables, yet treat them like crap. I'll ask Ragnok to look into Voldemort's top lieutenants' vaults."

"I believe that we can locate the rest from this diary," India suggested. "It is the most powerful so it has the strongest magic, which instinctively reaches out for the rest of the soul. If we had more, it would give us even more of a chance. And I believe you are right, it is most unwise to place a soul piece within another living being; the one in you was most likely a mistake."

Harry nodded, "Okay, while I go visit Master Jo and train for the summer, can some Walkers search for the fragments?"

Japan nodded. "Yes. Enjoy your summer. Another year at Hogwarts may be a bit much for you."

"Yeah, considering how much trouble you get caught up in there. Not to mention your pummelling of Malfoy," Jammel laughed.

Harry blushed, "I wasn't in the mood. I had a shattered shoulder and other broken bones. He was being an ass; you know what happens when you add the two together."

"Yes, we all know that," U.S. remarked drolly. "Some from experience and others from word of mouth. What we need to talk about next is the rather large amount of gold that has suddenly started appearing in our vaults."

Everyone turned to look at Harry. He squirmed in his seat a bit but didn't say anything.

"You know that you did not have to do that, and neither did Hermione," Japan sighed.

Harry shrugged. "No, we didn't. But we have enough money of our own. You gave me the training to kill it and through me, Hermione. We figured that the Order could use it better than we could."

"Exactly how much are you worth?" Mexico asked.

"Excluding the Shadow Vault, I have 750,000 Galleons in my two founders' vaults. I have 2,097,000 in my Daniels Vault, 809,000 in my Dracumis vault, 904,000 in my Peverell vault and 6,038,500 in my Emrys vault. So altogether, just over eleven million Galleons," Harry responded nonchalantly.

As most of the members gaped at the amount, China cleared his throat, "What he has neglected to tell you is that both he and Miss Granger have been putting about 30,000 Galleons in our vaults every six months. He has been doing it longer than she has but when she got access to her vaults, she started to do the same. However, it seems that they dumped the whole amount they got for the Basilisk into our accounts."

Harry shrugged. "You guys helped me out and gave me a home. I'm returning the favour."

The meeting went on for another hour before it finally broke up. Harry made time to perform the ritual to share his Parselmouth ability with one of the Cursebreakers, in case they came across Parselmagic. He made his way back to Gringotts and asked to speak with Ragnok.

He was shown into the office and greeted the Warchief of the Goblin Nation.

"What business do you have today Harry?" Ragnok asked.

"I believe you have a security risk in your bank." replied Harry, "It has recently come to my attention that Tom Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort, created multiple soul containers" Ragnok's eyes darkened and he snarled.

"And you believe one of those foul abominations is in this bank?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. I know how the Goblins feel about them, so I thought I would warn you."

"Where did you come by this information?" Ragnok asked roughly.

Harry responded, "I recovered a Horcrux at Hogwarts, it was possessing students and using them to command the Basilisk. Up until I was six years old, I had one in my scar. Once I joined the Walkers, they removed it when it was detected. We believe he created six, with mine being an accident. That leaves six left, if his original intent was to create seven. Since he gave one to Lucius, it stands to reason that he gave another, if not more, to other followers."

Ragnok nodded. "And because we are neutral and the Ministry can't claim vaults from us, they most likely put in it their vaults. I shall start a search of those that were closest to him and work down. Let the Walkers know that the Goblins stand ready to aid them if they need us."

Harry nodded and thanked him. Then made his way back to Miku's house where he was staying for the first part of his summer. While there, he visited with her family and simply caught up with his surrogate family.

_Potter Manor_

Lily Potter had been home for about half a week for summer break. She was looking forward to just relaxing and doing some research for the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable. She did this during the summer months as a way to keep herself busy. In the beginning, it was to distract herself from the thoughts of her oldest son running away, but it had turned into a way for her to use her Charms Mastery since Flitwick was still the professor for Charms, at Hogwarts.

About half-way through the first week back, she noticed that her magic was acting up and that she was often sick in the mornings. Worried, she made a trip to St Mungo's, where she found out that she was pregnant. She was ecstatic. She and James had tried for a while, after Harry had run away, but nothing ever happened. After a while, they stopped and were content with just having Chris.

When she got home she waited excitedly for James' return. She Flooed Alice and Emmeline to give them the good news. Both women were excited for the redhead and talked with her for a good while. Emmeline asked about Harry, and Lily explained how she was doing with the whole situation. Both Emmeline and Alice were glad to hear Harry was letting someone in. They were slightly surprised however, that he was so open with his mother. Lily explained that she wasn't pestering him and trying to force him to come back, whereas the men still were.

After James had come home later that evening, Lily pulled him aside and told him the good news. He was just as ecstatic as his wife. He laughed and spun Lily around. After the initial delight, he and Lily decided that they would get the help of the Department of Mysteries, since Lily wanted to still teach the following year. With her working for the Department during the summer months and James' past work in the Department before becoming an Auror, they had plenty of contacts and within a few days, everything was set.

After Chris' birthday, Lily would leave and go into a special chamber. It was explained to them that the chamber was a time chamber and that she would spend the length of her pregnancy inside the chamber, while only three weeks went by on the outside. After she gave birth, she would go back into the chamber for another month inside and day outside, to give her and the baby some time together before leaving for Hogwarts again. Britain didn't have something like the chamber in the country; therefore Lily would have to go to the U.S. to use their chamber. Because the time chamber was just starting to be used in the fashion they were using it, they were forced to pay quite a bit, but both she and James thought it was worth it.

_Granger Residence_

Two and a half weeks later, Harry came out of a shadow in the backyard of the Granger house. He walked up and knocked on the back door. A few seconds later, it was thrown open and he was attacked by his girlfriend and best friend, Hermione Granger. Before he could say anything, she crushed her lips to his and all thoughts left his mind. They stayed like that for another thirty seconds before they separated for air.

"Well, if that's the reception I get after being away for a few weeks, then I think I'll need to go away more often," he smirked.

Hermione blushed and playfully punched his arm. "Prat. I missed you."

Harry smiled and hugged her, burying his face in her hair, "I missed you too."

They went inside to sit down and visit for a while. Harry helped her get the last of her things packed and they waited for her parents to get home so the four of them could go out to dinner. Harry took them to an Indian restaurant in downtown London. He knew that curry was Hermione and Emma's favourite and Dan had no problems with it. They spent the time talking and catching up. He let all three of them know what happened at the Walker Meeting, not going into detail about what exactly the diary was with the elder Grangers, but he explained it in detail to Hermione using their telepathy.

He explained a bit about where he and Hermione were going the following day and that for them, the elder Grangers, it would only be about three weeks, but for he and Hermione, it could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

"The way the magic works is hard to explain even for people that live there permanently. The best way they explained it to me is that a person is there as long as they need to be to learn what they needed to learn while there."

"But what about other people that are there at the same time as you, you could gauge the flow of time that way," Dan asked.

Harry shook his head. "I tried it. Time feels... warped for each person that is there. For example; I could be there for what would seem like six months, while Hermione, if she needed longer, could be there for, what would feel to her, a year, or vice versa. It isn't passage of time of the body, not really. That is why it is impossible to gauge time the way you were thinking. The flow of time won't affect us physically though. We will still only be three weeks older than we are now physically, while mentally we will be however much time we spend there, older."

Emma asked, "Then how will you know when it is time to leave?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure, but a person is never late coming out. I can't explain it; it doesn't even make sense to me. I think it has something to do with the high density of magic in the temple. All I know is that it will be three weeks outside, while it will be no less than six months for us."

"But if time is different there, then how are you sure that it will take that long?" Hermione asked.

"Because the teachers there just know how to teach a person the best way. I learned Occlumency within the first six months, but the rest of the time, I learned more about magic than I had ever learned before. It's where I learned to manipulate it like I did with the spells. I left before I was completely done, but that was because I didn't completely understand the way time flowed there. It was explained to me later. When I tried to go back, Master Jo said that it wasn't time for me to go back, but that I would see him one last time there."

"At the time, I thought that I would only be allowed there one other time, but now I understand what he meant. Anyway, I can't really explain it any better."

The three Grangers could see that it was upsetting Harry so they dropped the subject. Hermione went on to explain that she had finished the work for her last year in mundane school.

"I should be getting my diploma in the mail by the end of the month," she explained excitedly.

"That's good," Harry smiled. "I'm done too. I'm going to start University classes in the fall."

Hermione asked, "Really? What are you going to get a degree in?"

Harry smiled, "I was thinking Psychology. I think that with it, I'll better be able to understand why the magical world is the way it is in some parts of the world, like England. I was also thinking of Sociology, for the same reason."

Hermione nodded, "I was thinking that I would go into Political Science, along with Sociology. That way, I can understand the British Magical world and also try and change it later on, once they get past their narrow-mindedness about blood."

Harry smiled. He and the Grangers talked through dinner and on the way back to their house. Once there, Dan and Emma said goodnight to the two teens and went to bed. Harry and Hermione stayed up for another few hours, finishing up their summer course work. When they were done, Harry started to shift slightly.

He said, somewhat uncomfortably, "Hermione, do you remember what I said at the end of first year?"

Hermione looked puzzled, "You have to be more specific Harry. Towards the end, there was sort of a lot going on."

Harry let out a long breath and said, "Remember what I said about third year and if we still like each other? That I would ask you to be my girlfriend? Well, I still like you and if the way you kissed me earlier says anything, you like me too. So I was wondering if you wanted to be my girlfr-"

Hermione smiled as he continued talking and then tackled him at the end, interrupting him. She started kissing all over his face and then buried her head in his neck.

"Yes. I would like that a lot," she whispered so low that he had to strain to listen.

He smiled and brought her face up to look at him, then smiled and pressed a light but tender kiss on her lips.

"Great. Then, I would like to ask you to go to the first Hogsmeade visit with me, when we get back to Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled and nodded. They stayed up a bit longer and just sat together and talked about the upcoming year. They eventually dozed off on the couch with Hermione cuddled into Harry's side. In the morning, they were awakened by a flash of light and an odd _click_ sound.

Hermione cracked her eyes open to see her mother standing in front of them with a camera in her hands. Her father was standing behind her and both were smirking. She groaned and turned her head, then proceeded to burrow closer into Harry's side. Harry on the other hand, locked eyes with Dan. The Granger male knew that Harry could hear his thoughts so he sent him one sentence. _You hurt her, I hurt you._

Harry nodded, returning, _I could never hurt her. She is the only reason I come back during the summer. Otherwise, I would just leave the country straight from Hogwarts and return to get on the train. I might not even come back if not for her._ Dan nodded subtly to Harry to confirm that they had an understanding. They group of four had breakfast together, before Emma and Dan bid Harry and Hermione goodbye. There were some tears but not many.

Dan and Emma knew they would see the kids again in a few weeks. Hermione, however, wasn't sure how long it would feel to her. The communication mirrors wouldn't work because of the time distortion. Harry was going to leave Hedwig with the Granger parents in case they needed to get hold of someone. They could send her to someone from the Order, stationed somewhere nearby. The Order knew how to get in contact with the temple. When Dan and Emma left for their surgery, Harry and Hermione got their bags and shrunk them down. Harry held out his hand and Hermione took it, and they simply walked into a shadow.

They emerged at the base of a huge mountain. Harry walked up to a small building off to the side. Hermione went inside with him and found a small bald man, dressed like a monk. Harry didn't speak aloud, but seemed to be communicating with the strange man. After a few minutes, the man locked eyes with Hermione. She felt something in her mind, but it was different from a Legilimency probe. It was like the man was looking at her very being. After a few moments, the man smiled and nodded to Harry. Then, they walked out of the building and started on a trail that only Harry seemed to see. Hermione thought about it and then used mage sight and saw a glowing trail that they were following.

They continued walking for another ten minutes, during which time, Hermione continued to go over the feeling she got when she looked in the man's eyes.

Finally she asked, "Harry, what was that man doing when he looked at me? I felt something but I can't explain it."

"He was seeing if your cause and reasons for seeking this place were the right reasons." he explained.

"But how? I felt something, but I can't explain what it was or even what he did," she clarified.

Harry was silent for a few moments before, "He was... looking at the core of your being. He saw what makes you, you. It's something that I don't know how to do, or accurately explain. I think that he speaks with your magical core and determines whether your intentions are pure or not."

Hermione asked, "But what if your intentions are not? Pure, that is."

Harry smiled, "Then he tells you. If a person becomes difficult, he simply vanishes and when he is not in the outpost, the trail vanishes."

"But what if someone is on the trail when he vanishes?" she queried.

Harry shrugged, "It vanishes behind us, not in front of us."

Hermione nodded her understanding and they continued in silence. By the end of the day, Harry announced that they were nearly there.

"Another hour or so in the morning and we should be there."

Hermione asked, "Then why not finish tonight?"

He shook his head, "Because at night, it gets unbearably cold. There are only two spots on the trail where magic can be used. The two main camping spots. We are in one and we passed the other one hours ago. While on the trail, magic is nullified. We can use a magical tent here for the night."

Harry quickly set the tent up while Hermione put the wards that Harry told her to, up. Once they were done, they settled into the tent for the night. Harry explained a bit about what life was like on a daily basis at the temple. He told her what he thought they would learn and explained a bit more about his time there before.

In the morning, they quickly packed up their camp and started on the trail again. An hour later, they approached a large gate. Harry simply came to a stop and waited. About five minutes later, the gate started to open and an old man came walking through. Harry smiled and darted forward. He bowed to the man, who bowed back before Harry pulled him into a hug.

He pulled back and said, "Hermione, this is Master Jo. Master Jo, this is Hermione."

The man scowled playfully. "Harry, I've told you again and again, don't call me master. Jo will do just fine. Now, let's go in, out of the cold."

They followed the man into the temple and Hermione let out a small gasp. It was beautiful; colours danced along the ceiling and flowed like rivers. She used her mage sight and gaped. It was like she had stepped into an ocean. She couldn't count the different currents the lights flowed through. With a jolt she realized that the rivers of light were magic! She quickly caught up with Harry, who had continued to walk. They were shown rooms directly across from each other and then were taken on a tour of the Temple. They were shown where they would eat, where they would bathe, and where the training rooms were.

They spent the next nine months training in different areas of magic. They learned to sense magic all the time, not just when they actively sought it out, and to tone down their mage sight so that they saw dim outlines and colours superimposed over their normal vision. Harry learned the basics of staff use. Hermione learned to feel magic like Harry and to change it at will. Hermione watched Harry train with the staff and learned a few things as well, but her main focus was just learning to manipulate the magic around, and directed at, her.

They learned that they were still forcing their magic to do something instead of working with it, with regards to shape-shifting, that they could even change into magical creatures, minus the magical abilities those creatures have, and that they could even use their wandless magic in animal forms. The last thing they both learned was out to use the magic around them to augment their own spells, so they didn't tire as fast. The monks taught them that they could do anything they could think of with magic, as long as they had the mental fortitude and patience. However, they didn't learn everything the monks could teach them, such as how to manipulate the flow of magic into the rivers and currents they saw around the temple.

When they asked, Master Jo said, "It would take a lifetime to learn to manipulate and create magical flows. What you have learned is to manipulate magic that is already there; that you learned so quickly is a miracle in and of itself. Not many people can do that. Outside of this temple, only seven other people in the world can do it. However, do not forget that you can only do as much as your mind can do at one time."

Around their eighth month, Master Jo's illness got worse. He was confined to his rooms and unable to leave. Harry volunteered to watch over him in the evening, when he wasn't training. During that time, they sat and talked. Harry told him about how he was and how he felt seeing his former family again. He explained about his loss of control before Christmas break, his first year. He explained how he lost control both times with Lucius and Draco Malfoy. About how he felt about Dumbledore and his meddling.

Master Jo let him talk, he let him vent his frustration with himself, his former family, and Dumbledore, then asked, "Did what you did save or protect others?"

Harry nodded slightly.

"Then you have no reason to feel guilt. As long as what you do is not for personal gain, or a personal vendetta, but for the betterment and protection of others, then you did the right thing. It is alright for you to lose your temper with your former family; if you held it in you would eventually explode. You always made sure that after you hurt them they got medical attention and you never hurt them to the point where they died."

Harry argued, "But what about Lucius? The first time I attacked him, I attacked first, and I did it because I lost my patience with him. The second, I practically goaded him into attacking me."

Master Jo laughed, "Harry, you seem to think that you are supposed to have the patience of a saint. You do not. You are young; you are supposed to lose your temper every so often. It's what makes us human. It didn't help that the first time he insulted your friends, and the second time he placed you and those you care about, in danger. You have to learn that it is okay to get angry every so often. What is not okay is to go out, searching for something to make you angry, to give you an excuse to lose your temper and hurt someone."

Harry nodded. They continued to talk. When Harry would leave to get some sleep, Hermione took over for him. Master Jo and Hermione talked about her life before Hogwarts and how she was after she met Harry. Master Jo was saddened by the need for Hermione to close herself off from other people so that she wouldn't be hurt, but happy she had Harry and Harry had her.

"Everyone needs someone they can trust and confide in. Someone to keep them grounded. You do that for Harry," he explained.

Hermione blushed. "He was my first friend. He helped me understand the world a bit better and never judges me. He's there when I need him; I just do the same for him."

Master Jo nodded.

Three weeks into their last month, Master Jo passed away in his sleep. Harry didn't get out of bed the day after. Hermione sat with him for most of the day, only leaving to get food and use the restroom. Malcolm and Gwen stayed in his room as well. Harry just talked about the last time he was there and what he and Master Jo talked about and did. He told them about their first meeting and about learning basic Occlumency from him.

After a day of mourning, there was a ceremony held for Master Jo. He was then put in a ceremonial cave for those that have passed away, deep in the mountains. Harry and Hermione continued training and were ready to leave a week later. When they did, they said goodbye to all the monks that had helped them and thanked the Grand Master of the temple for allowing them to come there and learn from them. Then they stepped through the gate and started on the trail, back down the mountain.

The following morning, they finally made it off the mountain and back to the small building. They didn't bother going in and speaking with the man, they simply walked into a shadow and out of a different shadow, in the Grangers' backyard. At the time, the adult Grangers were at the surgery, so the two teens went upstairs and started to unpack and get their things together for the trip they were taking with Hermione's parents.

When her parents walked in the door, Harry and Hermione were in the kitchen, making dinner. When they heard the door open Hermione darted out of the kitchen and tackled her parents in a big hug. Dan laughed and hugged his daughter. They sat down to eat the pasta that Harry and Hermione had made. Over dinner, they talked about what they learned and the Grangers tried to get Harry to tell them where he was taking them for vacation. They knew they were going to France and using a time turner to spend two weeks thee, but not where they were going first. He didn't let anything slip.

The following morning, Harry woke up and started breakfast for everyone. While he was cooking, an owl delivered the _Daily Prophet_. He paid for the paper, gave the owl a piece of toast, and sent it on its way. When he heard movement from upstairs, he set the table. He had just set the food down when Dan and Emma came down the stairs.

"Good morning, Dan, Emma." he smiled.

Emma smirked, "Don't suppose you can tell us where we are going now?"

Harry laughed, "It'll spoil the surprise!"

Dan laughed when Emma just pouted and sat down. "Don't worry about her, Harry; she just hates it when she doesn't know something."

Harry smirked, and they sat down to eat; Hermione would be up in a few minutes and could eat when she came down. Harry pulled the paper towards him and opened it up to read as he ate. After a few minutes, he startled Dan and Emma with a curse.

"Those idiots! How could they be so stupid?" he looked up, "Sorry, I need to go, I'll be back after I'm done chewing some people out."

With that, he stood and shifted away, with only the slight warping of the space around him to show he had been there.

_Potter Manor_

The Potters, Longbottoms, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black were sitting down to breakfast. The adults were talking about the massive breakout at Azkaban prison. Chris was talking with Ron and Neville about the upcoming year.

All of a sudden, the adults felt a slight shiver run up their spines and felt magic shifting around the room and through the Manor's wards. The space at the head of the table warped slightly and Harry Daniels appeared. His eyes were glowing, and there was a faint aura around him.

"Why do I come back and find that Azkaban prison is completely devoid of Death Eaters? Why is it speculated that someone must have snuck out of their cells and took a guard by surprise and got his wand, then went and opened all the doors to the other cells?"

James got over his surprise first. "Wh-How did you get in here?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Answer the question and I'll answer yours. Why is it that I only know of one person who can sneak out of a cell in Azkaban and why wasn't he in a special Anti-Animagus cell or his ability bound?"

Sirius asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Peter Pettigrew. Why wasn't he put in a special cell so that he couldn't transform into a rat? Was it because the Ministry really is completely inept at doing anything right or is it because no one other than those in this room ever knew?" he demanded.

James started, "Now wait, why do you think it was Pe-"

"Because you moron, only Pettigrew would be able to get out of his cell! Only something extremely skinny or as small as a rat could slip by the guards when they open the cell doors to feed the prisoners. Now, unless there are any other unregistered Animagi in Azkaban that I don't know about, I'm going to have to say it was Pettigrew!"

Chris jumped up, "Hey. You can't come in here and yell at my father like that!"

Harry looked sharply at him, "Shut. Up. You don't know what happened and are of no help."

Turning back to James and Lily, "Now, answer my questions so I can get back to the breakfast I just made. I have an international Portkey to catch in," he checked his watch, "three hours."

James said, "We didn't think we needed to, he never really was good at transforming. He always needed to be holding his wand when he transformed. Besides, why now?"

Harry shrugged, "From what little I remember and found out, he never was that smart. He probably realized he could transform not too long ago. It wouldn't surprise me if, in desperation, he transformed without his wand." he sighed, "Do yourselves a favour, and just pay the fine and register."

Lily asked, "Why do you care so much? I mean, more so than others, it seems."

Harry looked her in the eye, "Because he was there, standing in the corner, the night I became an unwanted guest in this house." He ignored the gasps and sad looks he got, "As much as I love my life now, I still want him and snake-face to suffer. I may not hate many people, but I loathe him and Riddle. Dumbledore is a small step down from them and the other Death Eaters. That is my shit list; Pettigrew, Riddle, his Death Eaters and Dumbledore."

Alice finally spoke. "Why Dumbledore?"

"Because he's the one that told my parents that there was a prophecy about Chris or I, which resulted in me being treated like a pariah in this house," Harry responded. "He is also the one that insisted on them taking my magic, not to mention that he is a manipulative bastard that has major control issues. Now, I'm done. I need to get back before Hermione decides to come find me." Turning to Remus, "Congratulations on the new job; see you in September." Turning to Lily and pulling out a shrunken book, "Here, it should help you get caught up for your classes in the fall."

Before he left, James said, "How did you get past the wards?"

"The same way I left, seven years ago," Harry replied, looking at him steadily.

With that, he shifted away, leaving those he left behind bewildered.

_Granger House_

He reappeared in the exact spot he left.

Hermione saw his expression and pulled him out of the room. Her parents understood, as she had explained what upset him in the paper.

"What happened?" she asked.

He took a while to respond before, "I showed up, and we talked about Pettigrew. Weasley was there, along with the Longbottoms, Black, and Lupin."

He went on to tell her what happened and they just sat there, talking about what they thought would happen.

Finally, he sighed, "I know what I have to do, but it'll probably bring even more attention to me and be a sure-fire way to let him know that I am the one who beat Riddle in '81."

"Why not wait? Why not just let Dumbledore try and figure it out and deal with it?" Hermione asked.

Harry thought about it for a few minutes. "Okay. I'll wait and see what he's going to do about it."

Hermione rubbed his back. "It's not your fight. You don't have to worry about everyone; it's not your job. No matter how much training you've had, you're still a kid and no child, not even one person, deserves to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Let the adults worry about that stuff. They created the problems, let them fix them."

She watched as Harry thought about what she'd said. "From what you've told me, Dumbledore created this problem in the first place. He has the power to stop the bigotry and laws favouring the purebloods, but does nothing about it. Besides, I doubt that the escaped Death Eaters will do anything big until Voldemort's back, and you won't be able to save everyone when he does come back."

Harry sighed; she was right, he knew it, but he also knew that Dumbledore was playing a dangerous game. One where he couldn't get hurt but everyone else could.

"Fine. I will stop helping. The only people I will protect are you, your parents, Luna, her parents, the twins, Ginny, Daphne, Tracy, and Blaise. The rest can fend for themselves. I won't go out of my way to help them, but if I'm around, I will. Otherwise, I'll leave it to Dumbledore."

Hermione nodded, "And that's how it should be."

_Abandoned Shack_

The escaped Death Eaters from Azkaban prison all gathered in a desolate shack.

Bellatrix spoke, "We must find our master. There have been whispers of something in Albania. Pettigrew, you will take a group there and search for him. Lucius you -"

The blond man snarled, "I will go after Harry Daniels. He put me in there and I intend to repay the favour!"

Bellatrix snarled back at him, but nodded.

"I will go after the one who defeated our lord and bring the brat back to him. He will be most pleased with that. The rest of you, go and start searching out useful information to give to our lord when he returns."

With that, the assembly of people broke up and scattered to the winds**.**

**A/N - Sorry it's taken me so long. I was having trouble starting it off. I'm trying to get away from canon, but I am finding it hard to do at this point because most of the events during the Hogwarts years are canon. I should have regular updates soon. I have most of it written out in outline form, now it is a matter of writing it out. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. I only play in the universe. Any ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 2

_Rome_

Harry and Hermione laughed at her parents as they landed with the Portkey clutched in their hands. When Emma realized where they were, she gasped at the sight. The Coliseum was in the distance.

"You brought us to Rome!" she exclaimed.

Harry chuckled, "Well, yeah. Do you like it?"

Dan smirked, "Of course she does; she's been wanting to come here for years. We've never had a chance to come. Usually, we go to France or the States for our summer vacations."

"Hermione said as much. I have a townhouse in the city so we can stay here for a week, then head to France for two weeks with a Time-Turner," Harry smiled.

The Grangers nodded their approval and they left the Portkey arrival site and made their way to the Gringotts branch in Rome. From there, they got their money exchanged and withdrew some Galleons to shop in the magical district.

They finally made it to Harry's townhouse around dusk and got settled. Harry, once again, insisted on Dan and Emma having they the master bedroom, while he took a smaller guest room. Once they had their things put away, they decided they would eat out for dinner. They went to a little restaurant around the corner from the house, where the kids shared Pasta cacio e pepe and the elder Grangers shared the same. Afterwards, they explored the area and enjoyed the evening.

Throughout the following few days, they toured the Vatican City and saw Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. They visited the Pantheon and toured the different museums that were in the city. They even went to the Trevi Fountain and made a wish and took a Portkey and explored Pompeii. When they weren't seeing the sights, they were talking with the friendly locals.

One their fifth day in Rome, they found that there was going to be a duelling tournament in a warded off part of the Coliseum. Both Harry and Hermione wanted to be in it. At first, the Granger parents were reluctant to let Hermione participate, but after talking with the youngsters, they relented and allowed Hermione to participate.

At the sign in, they found out that the tournament was with between two-person teams. Each team would duel each other and try to incapacitate the opposing team. They found out that the winning team of the children's' division would have a chance to go against the winning team of the adult division.

When they found this out, both Harry and Hermione smiled. They excused themselves and Shadowed back to their townhouse for their dragon-hide training armour. They didn't need to advertise that they had better armour to those that were going to be watching. When they got back, they put their names in and found that the rules were the standard Duelling Circuit rules; no outright Dark magic that couldn't be healed, no Unforgivables, anything else allowed.

They explained to a tournament official about their armour and extra wands and they were told that they were okay to use, though not many others in the children's division had armour or multiple wands. As the tournament got underway, they put their armour on and checked each other over.

Hermione questioned, "What are we going to say if someone asks where we got a second wand?"

"Those in the tournament won't care. If anyone from the Ministry asks, we both have citizenship in multiple countries. Some friends made the wands for us after they trained us a bit. The wands are certified with the American Mages. We are both allowed to have them because we are emancipated in America," Harry chuckled.

Hermione nodded, then had a thought, "What if someone from Britain sees us using multiple wands and skills we shouldn't have?"

Harry nodded, knowing where she was going with that train of thought. "It's okay. We can say that we leave the wands with friends, namely Alex Shadow and Miranda Grey, while in school. If they try to search us, which is illegal because the wands are registered with a government that is a part of the ICW, the wands are hidden in our holsters. The holsters are special because they have a localized Shadow Fidelius charm on them. As for our advanced skills, well, maybe we should not use everything. I mean, we can use our combat skills and some higher level spells and pass them off as learning from the Mages. But we shouldn't use our manipulation of magic, or at least, shouldn't make it obvious."

"I guess you've thought of everything, haven't you?" she smirked.

Harry laughed and they waited for the announcer to call them.

About forty-five minutes and six duels later, Harry and Hermione were called to the duelling platform. They were duelling a pair of thirteen year olds that were from Naples; Antonia and her sister, Cinzia. When they walked out, they almost immediately saw Dan and Emma in the audience.

Once on the platform, they bowed to each other and took their places. When the referee signalled go, the two sisters attacked immediately. Harry and Hermione shielded or dodged at first, to gauge their opponent's style. Harry threw a few harmless curses at them, while Hermione watched how they defended; she noted that they shielded against incoming spells, rather than dodge them. They also noted that the two girls spoke their spells aloud rather than cast them silently or whisper them.

After about a minute, Harry and Hermione had figured out how their competitors duelled. Harry and Hermione spoke through telepathy and attacked at the same time. Harry took out Cinzia with a spell chain of "**Stupefy! Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Stupefy!**" Hermione did the same to Antonia. They had decided beforehand that they wouldn't use any advanced spells until later in the tournament. The sisters shielded against the spells and their shields held against the first two spells. The third shattered them and they were taken down. Harry and Hermione summoned their wands and were named winners. They **Ennervated** the two sisters and gave them back their wands. As they walked off of the platform, both teams talked and shared tips and advice about what they could improve on.

Another eleven duels later and Harry and Hermione were again bowing to their opponents. This time they were facing a boy from Venice named Enrico, and a girl from Verona named Francesca. They were apparently childhood friends but Enrico had moved away.

The duel got started with their opponents trying to blind Harry and Hermione with a **Lumos Maximus**. However, Harry and Hermione Shielded and covered their eyes. Harry retaliated with a smoke screen that surrounded him and Hermione. By the time Francesca had blown the smoke away, Harry and Hermione had Disillusioned themselves and Silenced their footsteps. They let loose with a barrage of Stunners, Disarming Spells and minor jinxes, like the Jelly-legs Jinx, **Langlock,** and others that made it hard for their opponents to concentrate, while continuously moving around the platform. Eventually Enrico was the first to go down and a few seconds later Francesca was hit with a Stunner by Hermione.

Once again, Harry and Hermione were good sports about it and walked back with the two Italians, talking about the duel and each of the four giving tips to their opponents. They waited to be called for their next duel and talked about how they should duel the next team.

The next five duels went longer than those previously, but before they knew it, it was their turn again. Their opponents for this duel were cocky and their entire attitude had both Ravenclaws gnashing their teeth in frustration. Both Harry and Hermione didn't even pay attention to their names and waited for the duel to start.

Once it did, the opposing duo sent a barrage of curses at them, which Harry noticed could actually do quite a bit of harm. Both Harry and Hermione decided to return the favour and sent a few Jelly-Brain Jinxes, Twitchy-Ear Hexes, and Horn-Tongue Curses in their direction, as well as **Confringo** at the ground in front of the two boys. When they were slightly stunned, Harry bound them in magic resistant chains, then walked over to them and plucked their wands out of their hands. He handed them to the referee, who was slightly stunned at the spells used by two thirteen year olds, but nonetheless took the wands and declared Harry and Hermione the winners. As Harry and Hermione stepped off the duelling platform, Harry released the chains and the two disgruntled boys retrieved their wands.

The next three duels took nearly fifteen minutes each because each team had seen the other's style. Finally, Harry and Hermione were up, this time against two American brothers; Michael, who was sixteen and Anthony, who was fifteen. Both boys were polite and respectful, but when the duel started, they were relentless.

They started out with Blasting Curses at Harry and Hermione's feet, and then transfigured the rubble into small rodents. Anthony conjured a flock of birds and directed them towards the two British teens. Harry took care of the birds with an overpowered **Incendio**, and then shaped the magic to create a "criss-cross" pattern, obscuring their opponents' view of them. Hermione took care of the rodents with a localized crushing spell, directed at the ground. She then signalled for Harry to drop the **Incendio** and immediately shot a powerful stream of water at the two Americans. Harry followed it up with a **Glacius**. Michael saw what was coming and dove out of the way. As he dropped into a crouch, Anthony was encased in ice. Michael immediately sent Bludgeoning Curses towards Harry, who shielded with **Tutela.** The curses impacted the shield but it held. Hermione took care of their last opponent with a dozen Stunners fired so fast that they looked to be one long connected stream of spells.

Harry thawed Anthony while Hermione **Ennervated** Michael. They walked off, laughing and talking about who taught them to duel. While they waited for the final duel of the children's division, they spoke with Anthony and Michael. They were surprised to learn that Ms Cerina was their great aunt. They talked about each other's training and what their best class of magic was. For Anthony, he was good with Transfiguration and Michael was good with Defence and what the British Ministry would classify as Dark Magic.

Harry explained that he was great with Defence and Transfiguration, but his favourite was Runes. Hermione explained that she was very good with Charms and Transfiguration, but her favourite class was Arithmancy. They both thought that the British Ministry was a joke, after Harry and Hermione explained all the restrictions they had. Both Harry and Hermione told the brothers, as they told their other opponents, to stick around and see what surprises the two British teens had up their sleeve.

When the children's final duels got underway, Harry and Hermione knew that their rivals meant business. The rivals started off the duel with a wide area cutting curse. They blocked it, but were immediately met with Blasting Curses, which they dodged. Harry used the "Black Hole" spell to return the following series of Blasting Curses back at the two sixteen year olds. Hermione next conjured a flock of eagles and sent them towards the opposing duo. As the girl, Amanda, sent a cutting curse at them, the birds shifted and fell to the ground as a horde of rats. The boy, Clark, got rid of the annoying rodents with a wide area Crushing Curse directed at the ground. Amanda responded with a surprising spell, **Flamma Flagellum**, the Flame Whip spell. Clark immediately cast a **Fulgur Flagellum**, the Lightning Whip. Harry and Hermione countered with **Brachium Praesidio**, an arm specific shield. When the two sixteen year olds sent the whips towards the two thirteen year olds, the audience gasped as Harry caught the Flame Whip and Hermione caught the Lightning Whip.

Before Harry and Hermione could rip the wands from their grip, Clark and Amanda cancelled the spell, then transfigured the rubble around them into a pair of dogs and sent them after Harry and Hermione. Harry cast a cutting curse at the two animals. Hermione sent a "smoke bomb" charm into the middle of the stage, and then used **Wingardium Leviosa** on Amanda, catching her off guard. Harry Stunned her and Summoned her wand, before firing a stream of Stunners at Clark, too many for him to do anything but shield against. When Hermione joined Harry, their spells shattered Clark's shield, and he went down.

The audience went ecstatic at the end of the duel. Harry and Hermione **Ennervated** the two duellists and congratulated them on a spectacular duel.

"Where did you two learn to duel like that!" Clark asked.

Harry smirked, "I've been duelling since I was nine years old. But I've been following the duelling circuit since I was seven. I've watched so many, that I would pick up and use what works for me. I got some training from the American Mages and the Australian Outback Special Forces. Last summer I took Hermione and her family to America for a few weeks and we got more training with the Mages."

Amanda smiled, "Well, you guys were great. We've had a special trainer since we were twelve and decided we wanted to be professional duellists. How old are you exactly?"

Hermione smirked, "We're going into our third year at Hogwarts in Scotland."

Clark and Amanda's jaws dropped.

Clark exclaimed, "You can't be that young! You even blocked two spells that took us three months to learn!"

Harry looked confused. "What spells?"

Amanda gaped at him. "The Lightning and Flame Whips! It took us three months to learn those! What spell did you use to grab them like that?"

Harry smirked and told them he learned the spell in a professional duel back in 1989.

"How long are you guys in the city for?" Hermione asked.

"For another few days," Clark answered.

Harry asked, "You guys want to grab dinner with us? My treat, then maybe we can hang out tomorrow and talk about duelling."

Amanda glanced at Clark and smiled, "We'd like that. Good luck against the winners of the Adult Division."

Hermione and Harry smiled and thanked them. They then went to find the adult Grangers since there was a break in-between the last duels.

Emma grabbed them and exclaimed, "You were amazing! I've never seen anything like that before! I was so scared at times but you guys did great!"

Dan smiled and patted Harry on the back. "That was something else Harry. I guess you were right when you guys said you could take care of yourselves."

Harry smiled slightly and Hermione blushed. They spoke a bit more and ate a meal with the elder Grangers and introduced Amanda and Clark, along with their parents, Ethan and Amy, and Dale and Jennifer. Ethan and Amy were Clark's parents; Ethan was an accountant with Gringotts, while Amy was a secretary for one of the higher-ups in the MBI. She knew a few people in the Mages, but the MBI wasn't as high on the proverbial "totem pole" for her to know many people. Dale was the kids' trainer, he was a professional duellist in his youth, but eventually went on to teach the basics of duelling at M.I.T. Magical Department. Jennifer was a lawyer that worked for the MBI.

Before they knew it, Harry and Hermione were being called back to prepare for their last duel of the day. When they got back to the arena, they put their armour back on and made their way out onto the duelling platform, where they met two adults; a man who looked to be around his early thirties and a woman that looked to be in her late twenties. The man introduced himself as Philip and the woman as Trish. Harry and Hermione introduced themselves and then prepared for their duel.

As the duel got underway, the two adults, Trish and Philip Castello, started off using easy spells against the two teens. They sent simple Stunners and Disarming Spells, and overpowered them, thinking that their spells would crush any shields Harry or Hermione could put up. To their surprise, their spells were reflected back at them, after which Harry surprised them even more and conjured marbles to banish towards them at high speeds. They protected against the projectiles and started to duel like they did in the adult division.

They conjured barbed wire, knives, glass shards and other dangerous items and sent them all towards the two British teens. Harry and Hermione managed to transfigure the incoming items into harmless feathers that fell to the ground; they even managed to Vanish those they missed before they get close to them. Before Harry and Hermione were able to retaliate, Philip conjured twin lions while Trish conjured a pair of wolves. While Harry took care of the wolf and lion attacking him, Hermione did the same with the other two beasts. Trish didn't give them a chance to rest before sending a stream of fire towards them, while Philip sent a chain of lightning.

Harry responded with a massive cutting curse at all four animals and Shielded against the attacking elements. While his shield took the brunt of the attack, Hermione conjured dozens of darts, Disillusioned them, and banished them towards their attackers. The streams of fire and lightning were abruptly cut off with grunts of pain from Trish and Philip. After a moment, the two older duellists returned to their attack with Trish shooting shards of ice out of her wand, whilst Philip conjured miniature tornadoes and sent them towards Harry and Hermione. Harry cast **Incendio** and manipulated the fire to form a wall between himself and Hermione and the incoming shards of ice. The fire melted but the tornadoes snuffed out the wall of flames. Hermione sent a strong gust of wind and dispatched the tornadoes before they could harm them.

Finally, Harry saw a chance to go on the offensive and took it. He told Hermione what he was going to do and then cast **Lumos Maximus!** The strong light blinded everyone but them; they put the next stage of their plan into effect. He cast the spells that he needed to and then started sending streams of spell chains at the two adults. The two duellists had enough experience to know to shield when they couldn't see, and so none of Harry or Hermione's spells got through. When everyone could see again, they were met with three Harry Daniels and three Hermione Grangers. The British teens started casting faster than most in the audience thought possible. Trish and Philip shielded or dodged out of the way. Finally, Philip noticed that some of the spells being cast were coming from nowhere and signalled to his partner.

The two adults continued to shield, then without warning, they shot two spells at seemingly empty space. The spells were so fast that most couldn't see what happened, however, everyone knew something had happened when the duplicates stopped casting spells and vanished. Philip walked to the other side and removed the Disillusionment spells from the unconscious Harry and Hermione.

Once revived, Harry and Hermione both said, "Damn!" at the same time.

Philip laughed and said, "That was amazing! I haven't duelled like that since I was back on the circuit!"

Trish smiled, "I agree, where did you learn to duel like that? I've been duelling for close to ten years and that was one of the hardest duels I've ever been in."

"Well, I was disowned at an early age, but was almost immediately taken in by some friends. Over the years I got trained a little by the American Mages and some other places. Mainly the Mages and the Australian Outback Special Forces. Last summer I took Hermione and her family to America and the Mages trained her as well," Harry smiled.

Before anything else could be said the announcers said, over the booming applause from the audience, that it was time to present the trophies. Afterwards, Harry and Hermione talked with Philip and Trish a bit more about duelling and where they trained. The two adults were amazed that the two kids were only thirteen. They told Harry and Hermione that they were both twenty-eight and had started duelling right after they got out of school. They explained that, on the circuit, they were always partners and that they had known each other since they had started school and had eventually married when they were twenty-six.

After a while, Harry and Hermione said goodbye, but left with an invitation to train with them when they were done with school, if they wanted to duel professionally. The two teens went out to dinner with Hermione parents to celebrate.

_Hogwarts Castle - Head of Ravenclaw House Quarters_

Filius Flitwick sat at his desk, preparing for the upcoming school year. Next to his workplace, he had the duelling journal that Harry Daniels had gotten him the previous Christmas. He found that when he would take his breaks, he liked to watch some of the different duels going on around the world. As he finished up the first half of first term, he glanced at the book and had to blink a few times before he let himself believe what he was looking at. Two of his students were in a duelling tournament.

He watched as his students very nicely destroyed their competition. He noticed that on their third duel, they were rather vicious about it, but he could easily tell that their opponents were insulting and did not have the proper attitude. He watched as the two incoming third years decimated their competition.

As he watched the last duel in the children's division, his work forgotten, he was amazed when they caught the Lightning Whip and Flame Whip. He watched as they used simple spells with devastating efficiency and watched as they were good sportsmen at the end of the duel. He was tempted to go and get Minerva, but realized that Harry and Hermione hadn't told anyone about their abilities and most likely didn't want others to know. He knew that Albus was trying to gain control over Harry, but did not know why. He decided to keep their secret and speak with them at the start of term.

He had a castle elf bring him a small meal as he waited for the final duel to start. When it did, he was flabbergasted when he saw their opposing duellists. He didn't know Philip and Trish personally, but he knew their trainer. She was his apprentice's apprentice. He watched as the four duellists weaved around the spells being sent. He noticed that in the beginning, the professional duellists had taken it easy on his Ravens, probably thinking that they didn't know much and couldn't be much of a challenge. He chuckled slightly when he saw their expressions turn to shock when they realized that the two teens could actually beat them. He was amazed at the spells that they knew and had they shielded only when they absolutely needed to, otherwise they moved out of the way. Not many witches and wizards bothered with that. He remembered his first duel with Albus, it had been his only weakness, and it was how he was beaten.

At the conclusion of the duel, he got so excited that he fell right off his chair. He was very impressed and would most definitely be speaking with the two kids when they got back to the castle.

_Potter Manor_

It was the day after Chris' birthday and the day Lily would be heading to the States to enter the chamber for the duration of her pregnancy. She was both excited and nervous. James had taken some time off and would be there with her for the last two months of the pregnancy. He couldn't get any more time off because of the breakouts.

She grimaced as she thought of the breakouts; it brought back the memory of Harry's appearance and the bollocking he gave them about Peter. When James and Sirius had told Amelia Bones, their boss, she tore them a new one about not speaking up before. She had told them that it was the missing piece of the puzzle as to how the prisoners had escaped. They were fined for not registering immediately but that was all, minus the icy attitude that Amelia now took with them. The only reason they weren't suspended was because of the budget cutbacks that Fudge had imposed on the Auror department and because they were two of the best Aurors in the department.

As she got the last of her things together, she went and said her goodbyes to Chris, James, Sirius, Emmeline, Remus, Alice, and Frank. After that, she Flooed to the Ministry and made her way collect her International Portkey to the U.S.

When she finally got to the American Ministry, she went through customs and then made her way to the Time Manipulation Department. Once there, she gave them her information and a woman named Sarah.

Sarah directed her to a waiting room, but before she walked away, Sarah asked, "Excuse me, but do you know someone by the name of Harry Daniels?"

Lily started. "Y-Yes. How do you know Harry?"

Sarah smiled, "I've seen him around before. Nice kid. I saw him here last year with a girl, Hermione if I remember her name correctly. Anyway, thought I would ask, your eyes reminded me of him. If you see him, tell him Sarah said hello."

Lily smiled weakly and continued on. _How does she know Harry? What did she mean that Harry has been here before? I know that he said he had been to the Mages before but I didn't realize that he had been to the time department too. Maybe she has met him elsewhere in the building._

She continued thinking until her name was called and she walked through to doors. She took a deep breath and thought; _This is going to be a long eight months._

_France_

Harry and the Grangers had been in France for a week already and so far, it had been exactly as their last stay had been. They spent most days at the beach and underwater, courtesy of Gillyweed. As he swam through the water, Harry remembered their time in Rome. After the duel, they had gone out to dinner and the following day, they had met up with Clark and Amanda. They spent the day talking and having fun with the two Americans.

The rest of their stay in Rome had been about the same. They visited with Clark and Amanda some; they also had lunch with Anthony and Michael before they went home.

Harry was brought of his reverie by Hermione, who darted in front of him and thus began a game of tag through the water. Eventually they left the water and decided to go out to dinner with Hermione's parents.

X0X0X0X0X0

Once they were back in Britain, they caught up with the events going on there. Harry found that James Potter and Sirius Black had registered as Animagi and that the news of Pettigrew's Animagus form was now common knowledge. His and Hermione's letters arrived for the upcoming term and they were told that they were taking the classes they had signed up for. Both were taking Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures. Hermione would take Arithmancy, while Harry would take Ancient Runes, since they couldn't take all four classes. They conceded that they could still take their OWLs and NEWTs on those subjects. Harry would copy his notes in Ancient Runes for Hermione and she would do the same for Arithmancy.

He remembered meeting with the teachers that taught each class.

_Flashback - Hogwarts Castle: End of Year_

Harry and Hermione were waiting to meet with Professor Vector. They had asked to meet with each teacher together to speak about the electives they would take. They had an idea of what they were going to take but were going to meet with the relevant teachers anyway.

When they were called in, Harry let Hermione go first and they went in to meet with the professor. Once they were in the office, they talked about they would learn in Arithmancy and what sort of jobs they could get with a Mastery in the subject. Harry explained that he was interested but he wouldn't have enough room in his schedule. Professor Vector assured him that he would be able to take the OWLs for the subject and she would be happy to supply him with exams. Harry thanked her and they left.

Next they met with Bathsheba Babbling, the professor of Ancient Runes. They didn't really have much to say during the meeting. Professor Babbling knew Harry had a working knowledge of Runes, though she didn't know how far that knowledge extended. Harry and Hermione explained to her that Hermione would not be able to take the class because she wanted to take Arithmancy, but still wanted to learn the subject. They were given the same answer as Professor Vector gave them. Professor Babbling would help Hermione if she had any questions and would work out a time to quiz her throughout the year, but Hermione would have to study on her own. They talked a bit more and then left for their next meeting.

The two Ravenclaws walked into the smoky classroom and heard shuffling from in the corner of the room. Not a moment later, Professor Sybil Trelawney came into the light and told them to sit down. Throughout the meeting, Harry and Hermione had to hold back their laughter at the old professor. They already knew that they didn't have the gift; they were only humouring her to be polite. After about ten minutes, they left the classroom and were finally able to breathe properly again.

They made their way to the next meeting they had with Professor Grubbly-Plank. He explained that he would be retiring that year and he didn't know who would be taking over as professor of the subject. When they asked, he explained what Care of Magical Creatures was about and what he expected his students to know at the end of the year. He then went into detail about what sort of jobs a person could get with a Mastery in Care of Magical Creatures.

Afterwards, they made their way to their last meeting, the Muggle Studies professor, Lily Potter. Harry didn't really know what to feel going into the meeting. Lily had pretty much left him alone for most of the year. He shrugged off his worries and figured that he would treat her as any other teacher they were meeting with to discuss class options.

They were let in and both sat across from Professor Potter. She went into detail about what she taught and what she would expect her students to know at the end of the year. She also told them that there weren't too many fields that someone with a NEWT in Muggle Studies could choose from. There wasn't even a Mastery in it. However, she stressed that the subject was important to maintain the Statute of Secrecy. She then acknowledged that they didn't really need the course because of their background.

Harry asked her simple questions about how up to date the course was and Lily responded that it was current up until 1981 because she had stopped spending time in it after her parents died.

"I have a sister, but she and her family despise anything different. So naturally they hate me and magic altogether. So I don't really have a reason to go to the Muggle world all that much." she explained.

Harry offered to get her a book during the summer to bring her material more up to date which she accepted. Afterwards, she requested that they talk a bit. Harry didn't really see the harm so they talked for half an hour about what he liked to do and a bit about his life outside Britain. Though he didn't give anything away about the Order, he mainly told her broad generalizations. In exchange, she told him about what had happened in Magical Britain while he had been gone. He was surprised that she hadn't tried to pry anymore information out of him. But he shrugged it off and was grateful for it.

After their meeting, they knew what classes they were going to take and so filled out the form and handed it in to Professor Flitwick. The Charms Master was slightly surprised they weren't taking all their classes together but they explained their reasoning.

_End Flashback_

About half-way through August they finally made their way to Diagon Alley to get their school things. Luckily they didn't meet anyone and didn't have any issues like they did the previous summer. When they got to Flourish and Blotts, they found the manager near tears when he saw them. They assured him that they didn't need a copy of "The Monster Book of Monsters." Hagrid had sent them two copies the previous week and they had almost immediately understood how to open the books and not get their fingers bitten. They got their things and left, eager to read through some of the other books they got in Knockturn Alley, which they explored with disguises on.

The rest of the summer passed swiftly and before they knew it, September the First arrived and they were making their way onto the Platform. They got there with nearly an hour to spare so they put their things in a compartment, locked it, and put a Notice-Me-Not on it so they didn't have to worry about someone breaking in. Afterwards, they went and talked with the adult Grangers and had a coffee while they watched other families go through the barrier.

At about half-past ten, they saw the Weasley family, Longbottom family, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and finally the Potters. Harry was slightly shocked to see Lily holding a baby girl with black hair. Hermione saw it as well and wondered about it. A few minutes later, the four of them finished their drinks and made their way back to the Platform. Harry bade Dan and Emma goodbye and was slightly surprised when both of them hugged him back. He smiled as Hermione did the same.

As he and Hermione started to make their way towards the train, he saw Lily glance his way, then walked over, still carrying the baby girl.

"Harry, this is Rosalyn Potter. Your sister," she said, smiling.

Harry blinked, then smiled slightly, "Well, that's a surprise. You didn't say anything about being pregnant at the end of the year."

Lily smirked. "I didn't know myself. I found out a few days after. I went to America and spent three weeks in one of their Time Chambers they have there. By the way, Sarah told me to tell you she said hello."

"Thanks, I haven't seen her in a while. I'll have to send Gwen to her with a letter." Harry smiled.

Harry gently rubbed his sister's cheek and chuckled when she reached up and grabbed his finger.

Lily smiled, "Well, she's definitely likes you more than Chris; the first time he tried playing with her, she threw up on him." Harry and Hermione chuckled. Hermione started to laugh when Rose grabbed his hair and tried to tug on it. She seemed fascinated by the changing colours of his hair. Harry smiled as he extricated himself from the baby's grip and bid the mother and daughter goodbye before getting on the train.

They quickly found Luna, Ginny and the twins on the train. They were trying to find a compartment when the two Ravenclaws found them. They had seen the new Professor for Defence, but they claimed he was sleeping. Harry wasn't surprised; the Full moon had been a few days before. They invited them to their compartment and soon enough, they were all settled. The twins talked a bit with Harry and Hermione, trying to get some new ideas for pranks and genuinely talk about their summers. They soon left to find Lee Jordan. As the compartment door closed, it was once again opened, and Daphne poked her head in.

"Mind if we sit in here?" she asked.

Harry nodded and the three Slytherins entered and sat down.

Harry asked, "So, did you all practice merging with your magic anymore over the summer?"

Everyone in the compartment besides Hermione and himself nodded their heads, smiling. They spent a while talking about the bonuses that merging came with and wondered at why no one in Britain had thought of it. Harry and Hermione explained their hypotheses, which everyone in the compartment agreed with. Harry told them a little about what he and Hermione had done over the summer, a bit about what they learned at the temple and, in turn, the others did the same in turn. Ginny was the most excited. She had gotten a whole new wardrobe with the money Harry had given her from the Basilisk. She also thanked Harry for giving her the advice of letting the goblins take care of her investments.

"I only put a quarter of what I have in my vault into the control of the Goblins to invest so even if it wasn't the smartest move, I still have most of the money still in my vault. My parents decided to take your advice as well, apparently, they are doing well."

After a while, everyone quieted down and did their own thing for the duration to the train ride. Ginny and Luna talked a bit about charms, while the three Slytherins talked about the breakout. Harry and Hermione pulled out a book and read. Harry was busy with a book about Tibetan Ancient Runes and Hermione had begun an advanced book on Arithmancy. They were only interrupted when Zacharias Smith entered their compartment to thank Harry for the book and advice, along with the money for the Basilisk.

A few hours later, the train made an abrupt stop, causing many to fall to the floor.

Hermione looked around. "We can't be there yet."

Harry was about to say something when the lights went out, plunging the train into darkness.

He barked, "Get to the back of the compartment."

Everyone did as he said and he stood at the front of the compartment. After a few minutes, they started to hear screams and whimpers throughout the train. Soon enough, the compartment door started to slowly open. Everyone held their collective breath. There, floating in the doorway of the compartment, was a Dementor. Harry fought through the debilitating effects of the creature and sent a mental message to everyone in the compartment, _Stay calm, and don't do anything. I think they are looking for the escaped convicts from Az-_ he stopped abruptly when the black brute started to come into the compartment and reach for him.

Harry was almost overwhelmed with memories that he had wanted to forget. Memories that he had locked away in his mind, that the Dementor was pulling to the forefront of his thoughts. Through the painful memories, he heard Hermione and Luna whimper along with the rest of his friends; it gave him the strength to fight through the fog. He thought of his time with Hermione and her family and he roared "**Expecto Patronum!**" A blindingly bright raven shot out of his wand and seemed to rip, tear and peck at the Dementor's face, driving it away.

As soon as it left the compartment, Hermione broke through the fog that had caused her to remember the most painful times in her life and she shot a Patronus as well, a bright Falcon. Together, the two Patroni went through the train, driving the monsters away from the students they were tormenting. Harry realized that he was only able to fight unconsciousness because of his Occlumency training. He swiftly got up and made his way to find Chris Potter.

He told Hermione, "I have to find him. He will be affected worse than I was because he has the same memory of that night, but with no protection."

Hermione nodded, pulling out some chocolate frogs and nearly forcing them down their friends' throats.

Harry made his way through the train, telling everyone he saw to eat chocolate. He finally came to a compartment with Remus Lupin, Chris Potter, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. He saw Chris convulsing on the floor. He knew he would be fine, but that he was probably trapped in the memory of that night. He made his way in and shoved the others to the side.

As he knelt down, Ron asked, "What's wrong with him?"

"He is trapped in the memory of the night Voldemort showed up," answered Harry. "Go to the driver and tell him it's okay to continue on, they are gone." he told Remus.

He Stunned Chris, calling for Gwen to flash Chris to Hogwarts after he attached a note explaining what was wrong and what had happened.

Then, without saying anything else, he made his way back to his compartment. Nothing much was said until the train started its journey again.

Once they were moving again, Ginny asked, "What did you do to make it go away?"

Harry glanced at her. "I cast a Patronus at it. It is a difficult spell to master. It took me a long time to get it, even longer to get it to work in the presence of a Dementor. Though, I didn't practice on a Dementor, I practiced on a Lethifold or under a Nightmare and Sorrow Ward."

Ginny gnawed on her lower lip, and then asked nervously, "Co-Could you teach me? The Dementor brought back the memories of last year." Luna nodded, looking shaken.

Harry looked at the others in their compartment, seeing all his friends looking shaken and frightened, though the three Slytherins tried to hide it. He nodded and for the rest of the train ride, he taught them the basics of the charm. The only interruption they had was when Remus Lupin asked if they were alright or needed anything. He was surprised to see that when he opened the compartment door, Harry and Hermione were teaching the five other students to perform the charm and they were so far along that they were already getting thin white mist out of their wands.

They assured him that they were fine and thanked him; he then made his way to the other compartments to look in on other students.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. I only play in the universe. Any ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 3

As the train pulled in Hogsmeade Station, Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall were waiting for the students. Madam Pomfrey started bustling around the new arrivals, fretting that they might be in need of her care in the Hospital Wing. When she came upon Harry's group of friends they hastily assured her that they were fine, and she was reluctantly dissuaded from stopping them boarding the carriages.

As they made their way up to the castle, Harry and Hermione answered a few remaining questions their friends had about the Patronus charm. Harry assured them that as they practiced it, continued to practice Occlumency and thought of different memories to use for the charm, they would get better at it. This pronouncement was met with general relief.

Once they got up to the entrance to the ancient castle, Harry saw Dumbledore standing by the entrance, and immediately got out of the carriage and made his way up to the Headmaster.

When he saw Harry, Dumbledore started to say, "Ah, Mister Daniels. How-"

Harry interrupted him and demanded furiously, "Who's the idiot that thought exposing the entire student population to the effects of those Dementors was a good idea? Only a very few people knew how to cast the Patronus! As far as anyone one knew, it was just Lupin!"

Dumbledore noticed a small crowd of students gathering around them, wanting to know his answer; even some of his own staff was looking expectantly at him. He sighed. "I'm afraid that I could do nothing about that. The Minister insisted-"

"Bullshit!" Harry interrupted harshly. "You have more power than the Minister. You could have used that power to ensure that those monsters were never near children! Hell, you could have just had a team of Aurors on the train instead of what you did. You could have persuaded the idiot Minister that it would look better to the public to have Aurors on the train, rather than subject the students of Hogwarts to the effects of the Dementors!" Dumbledore tried to speak, but Harry's voice cut right over him. "The Dementor that checked our compartment reached out to me and if I hadn't broken through its effects and cast my Patronus, I would most likely have been Kissed, along with the other students in my compartment. If I hadn't scared off the Dementor in Potter's compartment, he would have been Kissed as well!" Dumbledore started to explain that he had no control of the Dementors, but Harry again interrupted him.

"Forget it. I'm in no mood to listen to your meaningless doubletalk and the bullshit that comes out of your mouth." With that, he walked away, most of the students following him. Dumbledore was left gaping. Even some of the staff had never seen anyone tear strips out of the Headmaster so well before.

As they made their way to the Great Hall, Blaise exclaimed, "Wow. I've never seen you lose control like that. What happened?"

Harry shrugged. "I hate Dementors. They are foul and make me remember things that I have locked away deep in my mind."

With that, the group dropped the questions, seeing by his expression that Dementors were the last thing he wanted to talk about. When they reached the Great Hall, the twins and Ginny said goodbye and went to the Gryffindor table. Blaise, Tracy, and Daphne did the same and went to the Slytherin table. Harry, Hermione, and Luna made their way to the Ravenclaw table.

The sorting went off without any troubles; Dumbledore introduced Remus Lupin as the new Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts and Hagrid as the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor. During the feast, Harry didn't talk much; he focused instead on mental exercises to find and repair all "leaks" that would lead to nightmares about his past when he went to bed later that night. Hermione knew what he was doing; he had told her how Dementors tended to bring out his memories and allow them run free in his mind until he locked them away. Luna could see that Harry's aura was slightly off.

"Harry, why does your aura have wrinkles in it?" she asked.

Harry glanced around and saw a few people looking at him. "It looks like that because Dementors affect me differently. Everyone has bad memories, yes. But no one has memories of a Dark Lord coming to murder you and not many people have memories of your family ignoring you completely and eventually plotting to take away the one thing you enjoy above all else and abandoning you, all in favour of your brother. That is what Dementors make me remember. They bring those thoughts to the forefront of my mind and let them run wild in my mind until I can get them under control again. Until I do, I'm on edge and... twitchy..."

Hermione smirked slightly as his choice of words but wrapped her arm around him for comfort. He looked at her and smiled in thanks. The rest of the night went on as usual; Dumbledore gave the welcome speech and explained the rules and then they were allowed to go to their common rooms.

As the other Houses rushed to get out of the Great Hall, the Ravenclaws stayed back, waiting patiently to avoid the rush. When it was finally clear for them to go, Harry and his two girls made their way out, when they neared the Entrance Hall, they saw the Potters, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom waiting in the hall. He sighed and continued on his way, praying that he could go to bed with no further interruptions.

As they neared them, Lily asked, "Harry, could we talk to you for a minute?"

Harry shrugged and he, Hermione and Luna walked over to them.

James said, "We were hoping we could talk to you in private..." he glanced at the girls.

Harry pointed to the others, "You have your friends and family, I have mine. What do you want? I'm tired and not in the best of moods, as Dumbledore witnessed."

Lily looked him over and saw that he did seem more ragged than she had seen him and he seemed more hyper-alert than he normally was.

"What's wrong? I thought Madam Pomfrey cleared you?" she asked.

Harry gave her a sharp look, "I'm fine. Dementors irritate me and people who tell lies to save face with the public irritate me. I've had to deal with both tonight and I already want this day to be over. The Dementors affect me differently, they make remember things that I have tried to forget and it will stay that way until I seal the memories away again, one by one. Now, I'll ask again. What. Do. You. Want?"

Lily gave him a slightly pained look. "We just wanted to thank you for getting Chris off the train. Madam Pomfrey was at a loss at what was wrong but she knew it had to do with the Dementors."

Harry gave shrug, "He was most likely trapped in the memory of that night. I won't pretend to say that I know him all that well, but I can't imagine that he had too many bad memories in his past."

Everyone paled and Chris shook a bit.

"Is that what you experience?" Lily asked.

Harry looked at her hard for a few moments. "Among other things." he said tersely, "Look, you're welcome for helping out. But I would have done it for anyone, the only reason that I specifically went to Chris first was because it was fresh in my mind because I was almost trapped in the memories as well, but I managed to fight it with help of my Occlumency training. Now, I'll see you in the morning because I am sure that Dumbles will come collect me for the annual meeting at breakfast."

With that, he and the other two Ravenclaws turned and walked away, leaving a few people reeling.

As he walked away, James said to the others, "Does anyone else think that this year will be difficult if he has shortened patience because of the Dementors?"

Sirius nodded, "Yeah. I have a feeling he will have a much shorter fuse this year."

"Well, he will be fine with the Dementors. He was the one that cast the first Patronus on the train. It looked like a raven. The second was Miss Granger, hers looked like a falcon of some kind," added Remus.

The other adults gaped at him. Lily exclaimed, "You mean they conjured a corporeal Patronus? Not just white mist?"

Remus nodded. "They drove away all of the Dementors on the train, there had to be at least ten. I'd be hard pressed to do the same."

The adults nodded and bid the three Gryffindors goodnight.

X0X0X0X0X0

"_If you were too good to have dinner with the rest of us, then you can wait until morning!" yelled James, as he dragged him up the stairs to his room._

_Harry tried to explain, "But daddy, I didn't know it was time for dinner! No one came to get me!"_

_As they got to the smallest room in the manor, James put Harry in his room._

"_It isn't our responsibility to make sure you pay attention to the time. You would've known it was time for dinner if you were playing with your brother or spending time with the rest of the family, instead of always pretending to read in the library! Now go to bed. I will let you out in the morning for breakfast!"_

_With that he closed the door and Harry heard the definitive sound of the lock clicking into place, signalling that he was locked in his room until someone unlocked his door._

Harry shot up in his bed in a cold sweat. He hated that memory; it was the longest time he had been locked in his room, nearly a solid twenty-four hours. His _father_ remembered the following evening during dinner. Luckily, Harry had previously stashed a supply of food in his room for just such an occasion.

He looked outside and groaned when he saw it was still dark out. He checked the time and saw that it was only half-past-four in the morning. He decided that sleep would be a wasted effort; he had just woken up for the third time in the same amount of hours. He decided to meditate and try to find and get control of the last of the rampant memories in his mind.

Two hours later, Harry opened his eyes and smiled in relief as he put the last of the memories back under lock and key. He had asked Ms Cerina about his problem with Dementors and she said that he would have to find the solution on his own. She had told him that his problem, while not unique, was very rare and for each person that had it, they dealt with it in their own way.

He made his way down to the common room to wait for Hermione and Luna. He wasn't down there for more than a few minutes when the two girls came down the stairs. Together, they made their way outside and began their workouts. They ran around the Black Lake six times, then went through Aikido and the katas for the staff. By the time they were done, it was nearly a quarter-until-eight.

They made their way back to their common room and took showers, arriving back in the Great Hall and eating breakfast before the morning rush of students managed to make their way down. When they received their schedules from Professor Flitwick, both Harry and Hermione noticed that their Head of House seemed to look at them differently than he did before. Brushing it off, they looked over their schedules.

Harry immediately noticed that the electives would be a combination of all the Houses, while the core classes would still be split up between two specific Houses. However, after looking over a few Housemates' schedules, he noted that while the electives were a combination of all four Houses, not all of the students for each House would have class at the same time. Morag and a few other Housemates would not be in the same Ancient Runes class as he was, while Michael Corner wouldn't be in Hermione's Arithmancy class but was still scheduled to take the class. He noted that he and Hermione had the same classes across the board, except for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. When Harry had Runes, Hermione would have Arithmancy.

They had Care of Magical Creatures first thing after breakfast, so Harry and Hermione told their fellow Ravenclaws how to take care of their "Monster Book of Monsters." As breakfast was continued, Harry saw Dumbledore, Professors McGonagall, Lupin and Snape as well as the Potters making their way towards him just as he had predicted. Sighing, he looked at what remained of his breakfast and sadly pushed it way. He swiftly requested Flitwick to accompany him and he brushed past the approaching adults, who turned on their heels and followed him.

He sat down in the Headmaster's office. A few moments later, the rest of the party made their way into the office. Dumbledore knew better than to ask how he had gotten in his office; he had gotten his answer the previous year and knew he wouldn't get a better answer. As he sat down, he looked at Harry over his glasses. They stared at each other for a few tense filled minutes.

Finally Dumbledore looked away slightly and asked, "So, Harry, how was your summer?"

"It was fine," Harry shrugged. "I went to India with Hermione for a while, came back, and we and her parents went to Rome, then France for our vacation."

Dumbledore continued fishing for information. "And what did you do in these places?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I visited with a few friends in India, saw one who passed away while I was there and then I left. In Rome, we just did some sight-seeing and in France, we were at the beach for the most part. What do you really want to know? I would like to not be late for class since it's the first day and all. So can we just get to the reason you wanted to speak with me?"

Lily looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that one of your friends died. Were you close?"

Harry nodded. "He was like a grandfather. He was the one who taught me original Occlumency, before I developed the Battle-Based. Anyway, can we please move on? I want to go to class."

Dumbledore coughed slightly at the tone, but said, "We are worried for your safety, with Lucius Malfoy out from Azkaban as well as the other Death Eaters. We are worried that they may come after you to get to your brother or parents, I mus-"

Harry held a hand up while saying, "I have no brother, and I have no parents. I am the last of the Daniels Family; the rest of them died a long time ago, so I have no idea who you are talking about. If you are talking about the Potters, then you have nothing to worry about because I was disowned from that family, therefore they would not gain anything by coming after me."

Dumbledore sighed, "Be that as it may, I must insist, for your safety, that you take some precautionary measures."

Harry raised an eyebrow and said nothing, waiting for the Headmaster to expand on his "idea." When Harry didn't say anything, Albus continued on, thinking that the boy would actually listen to him.

"I suggest that you limit your exposure to the outside world. Therefore, I must insist that you not go on any Hogsmeade trips this year, as well as stay in the castle for the holidays, that, or I will allow you to go to Potter Manor. When the school year is over, you will go with your family back to Potter Manor. You will be safe there with the wards in place."

After a few moments of silence, Harry only had one thing to say; "Have you gone completely insane, or are you honestly that stupid and naive?"

At the shocked looks he got, he answered them with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you honestly believe that would have worked? You all have known me for two years now. In that time, haven't I made it clear that I'm not a stupid little child? Only an idiot would have gone for that!" He continued, "First off, I am HARRY DANIELS. Do I need to spell it out for you? I am not anything but a long distant relative of the Potters. The only relation the Daniels Family has to the Potters is that they were all family once, quite a few decades ago. The family branched off. Therefore, the Potters have no say in my life. They are not my family; at most, they are acquaintances. Therefore, I will NOT be spending ANY time at their manor. Second, I WILL be going to Hogsmeade, my form is signed and therefore, I can and will go. And last, but certainly not least, you will ALLOW me? You have no say in my life whatsoever. I can't tell you how little what you have to say means to me. In my mind, you are nothing but an old man who doesn't know when to stay out of other people's business."

He took a deep breath and said, "Therefore, if the only reason you have called me to this meeting is to try and get me into a position you can exploit, then I'm afraid that I have more important things to do."

As he finished, Snape drew his wand and snarled, "Why you insolent-"

He was cut off when Harry's wand shot into his wand and he held the Potions Master at wand point. "Do you really want me to teach you another lesson about interrupting me? I thought I beat that into you last year, do I need to try harder this time?"

Snape immediately shut up and glared at the third year.

Harry turned back to Dumbledore, who stared at him in shock. No one, in all his life had spoken to him in the way Harry Daniels had just done. Inside, rational thought slowly was overridden with anger, however, Albus kept most of it buried.

He said tightly, "No, that is not all. How did you get into Potter Manor? It has Anti-Apparation wards as well as Anti-Portkey wards. Yet James said you entered his home, unwelcome, during the summer."

Harry shrugged, unconcerned. "I told him before I left. It is the same method that I used when I left the house when I was six-years-old. Those wards don't affect that way of transportation because it is neither Apparition nor Portkey. I call it shifting."

Dumbledore waved his explanation away, "I have never heard of this. I must insist that you tell the truth."

Harry snorted. "Just because you haven't heard of something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Ask the goblins about it. Ragnok said that it is similar to what they do, though not completely the same thing."

"How do we know you're not lying?" James asked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine."

He grabbed Lily Potter's arm and shifted to Potter Manor.

He let go. "Take something so that we can go back, and prove to them that I am telling the truth. And I will tell you, if Dumbles doesn't stop pissing me off, I will really hurt him this year." Seeing her expression, he explained, "Oh no, not physically. I'll hurt him in a place much more painful, his pride. Now tell him to lay off. So far I have been nice, but this year the kid gloves are coming off and I will do what I need to, to keep me and my friends safe."

Lily could see that he meant it and nodded, "Alright, I'll tell him. But I don't think that he will listen. He has always done what he thinks is best."

Harry snorted, "Yeah, yeah. His vaunted 'Greater Good' crap. Let me ask you a question? The 'Greater Good' of who? The magical world as a whole? Or just the 'Greater Good' of Albus Dumbledore? Tell me, with all of his power and sway with the people of this country, what has he done to stop the pureblood bigotry? What has he done to promote fairness between the different magical races? The answer is nothing. He has just sat on his bony ass and spouted off meaningless platitudes to people and plotted ways to keep himself in power to continue with his concept of the 'Greater Good'.

"I mean, even during the last war with 'The Order of the Phoenix', I mean, what did you actually do except react? He wouldn't let you take anyone down permanently. You would stun and capture Death Eaters. Then Voldemort would free them later. Anyone who used lethal methods, he scolded and reprimand, while the Death Eaters killed hundreds of magicals and mundanes. That is why you were losing the war. Even during Grindelwald, Dumbledore waited until the last possible moment to fight, letting countless people die as he waited."

She stared at him, then asked, "How do you know all this? You weren't even two-years-old when the war ended? And you haven't been in the country since you left?"

Harry looked at her and said, "I have a very good memory. I remember everything. I remember it as if it happened yesterday. The only way I got through some days when I was a Potter was remembering when I was still wanted. As for how I know about the war, I read up on it. Now come on."

He grabbed her arm and shifted them back to the Headmaster's office. They appeared in the midst of those they left behind, frantically looking for them.

When they appeared, Harry said, "Now, am I done?"

Dumbledore nodded dumbly. Harry nodded and made his way out.

As he neared the door, he turned. "I must thank you for ruining my first day back. I wouldn't talk to me for a few days; I'm liable to lose my temper with you. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, McGonagall, I'll see you in class, have a good day."

He walked out and made his way down a corridor. When he checked the time, he realized that he wouldn't be as late as he thought; it was only a few minutes until the bell rang. They had interrupted his breakfast only half-way through it. Hastily making his way to the Great Hall, he got there just as students were leaving to head to their first class.

X0X0X0X0X0

As the door to the office closed. Dumbledore slumped down in his chair.

Snape jumped up and snarled, "You can't let that brat get away with talking to us like that! I want him exp-"

He was abruptly silenced, by the most unlikely person in the room. Lily Potter glared at Severus with unadulterated fury.

"You will shut up. All you have done is ridicule and belittle him since he came back. I am sick of it. I am sick of hearing you spout out your hatred of anything to do with James Potter. Your ridiculous vendetta needs to end. It started in school; that was more than a decade ago. Yes, the Marauders were horrible to you, but you seem to forget, you were just as horrible to them. The difference is: they stopped. The only reason they continue to belittle you is because you continue with your grudge. If you stopped insulting everyone around you, you and they would be adults who dislike each other, but can't let go of it. What's worse, they do not take their anger out on innocent children; the same cannot be said for you. Now leave."

There wasn't even the sound of breathing in the room. Very few people in the room could remember Lily Potter get quite that angry at someone. Severus looked at her with tormented eyes, then swept from the room.

Lily turned to Dumbledore. "Sir, I think that you need to be careful with Harry. He gave me a warning to give to you. Lay off him and his friends or he will hurt you where it hurts the most."

Dumbledore contemplated his words. _That's ridiculous! He may be the Head of a few powerful Houses, but I am still the Leader of the Light. The public will understand, he must be brought under control, the Greater Good must come before all else. I must move up my plans._

He looked at Lily and said, "I understand. I will take that into consideration. For now, just watch him. With all the Death Eaters loose, I fear for all of our safety. However, I must know, what happened when you disappeared from my office?"

"We appeared in the living room of the Manor. He told me to take something to show that he was telling the truth and then gave me his warning to give to you. He was telling the truth. Whatever it was, that wasn't Apparating. It was much...smoother. It felt like you were sliding or shifting from one place to another."

With that, Dumbledore nodded, deep in thought and everyone started to file out of his office, off to their first classes of the term.

As Lily walked out, she thought, _I hope you heed his warning Headmaster. He looked deadly serious and I have a funny feeling that he could do a lot of harm to you if pushed._

Little did she know most of the others shared the same thoughts.

X0X0X0X0X0

The first class of the school year was Care of Magical Creatures, with the newly appointed Professor Rubeus Hagrid. In the beginning, a few grumbled and complained about the class books, but Harry, Hermione and the other Ravenclaws, along with Hagrid, rapidly explained what had to be done to the books. After the slightly rocky start with the books, Hagrid brought the class to an enclosure near the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

There he introduced the class to their first creature of the year, a hippogriff. That particular hippogriff was named Buckbeak. Harry and Hermione were suitably impressed with the first creature of the year. They, along with quite a few other classmates, hoped that the class would be as interesting throughout the year.

What followed was Hagrid explaining a bit about the creatures and how to interact with them. He asked for a volunteer to approach Buckbeak; not many students wanted that "honour." However, Harry volunteered, climbing over the fence and into the enclosure. He slowly approached the animal and, as Hagrid had instructed, made a deep bow of respect to the winged beast. After a few moments, Buckbeak did the same. Harry smiled and a few students cheered him on. He got close enough to run his fingers through the soft feathers along Buckbeak's neck. After a moment, Hagrid went over to him and abruptly picked him up, saying something about riding Buckbeak.

As soon as Harry was on, Hagrid slapped Buckbeak on the rump, and he took off. It was exhilarating. They flew around the castle and along the surface of the Black Lake. Eventually, Harry felt comfortable enough to let go of his neck and hold on to Buckbeak with his legs. Soon enough, they returned to the enclosure and Harry got off.

Most of the class was so encouraged with Harry's display that they nearly fought each other to get a chance to greet a hippogriff. Hermione greeted Buckbeak, after Harry got off and was able to approach him as well.

However, trouble arose when Malfoy decided that "because Daniels could do it, so could he." He approached Buckbeak in the most disrespectful way imaginable. He did not bow, nor did he wait to receive a bow. Instead, he outright insulted Buckbeak, calling him a "Great ugly brute." Almost immediately Buckbeak reared back to attack, but Harry got there first and shoved the Slytherin ponce aside. As Buckbeak came back down, he left a deep scratch in Harry arm. Harry let out a hiss of pain but ignored it.

Harry roared, "BUCKBEAK!"

Miraculously, the hippogriff backed away and lowered his head, as if sad that Harry got hurt.

Hagrid hurriedly came over to get Buckbeak away. Seeing the damage to Harry's arm, he paled slightly.

Harry saw his face and assured him, "Hagrid, I'm okay, it's just a scratch. Madam Pomfrey can fix me up in a second."

Hagrid let out a sigh and nodded. Then he turned and proceeded to completely tear into Malfoy. No one had ever seen the gentle Groundskeeper as angry as he was. He assigned Draco two weeks detention and deducted 30 points. Afterwards, Hermione reminded him that Harry had yet to see Madam Pomfrey, after which, Hagrid let Harry go from class.

As he made his way back to the castle, he passed Hagrid, "Don't worry about it, Hagrid. I thought the class was brilliant! I actually want to ask a favour of you."

He pulled Hagrid away from the rest of the class, who, after seeing what had happened, were slightly more wary of the creatures, but still approached them. Harry explained what he wanted from Hagrid and the gentle giant eagerly agreed.

Harry made his way up to the castle and towards the Hospital Wing. When he got there, he walked through the entrance to find Lily Potter talking with Poppy Pomfrey. When they saw him, they immediately noticed his arm dripping blood onto the floor. Oddly enough, a few seconds after it hit the floor it vanished as if a spell was on his wound so it wouldn't make a mess.

Madam Pomfrey rushed over to him and asked, "What happened? Don't you think it's a bit early in the year to already be needing my services?"

Harry chuckled, "It may be a bit early, but I figured that it was better me than Malfoy. He would probably just whine and bitch about his arm. I wouldn't even put it past him to try and get Buckbeak executed. As it is, it's just a scratch. I should be fine."

Pomfrey clucked over him as she looked.

Lily asked, "But, what happened?"

Harry sighed. "We were in Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Hagrid had us working with hippogriffs and Malfoy decided he didn't have to listen and went up to one and insulted him. In return, Buckbeak started to attack him. I pushed him aside and got Beaky to calm down before Hagrid made it over to us. But when I pushed Malfoy out of the way, Buckbeak scratched me instead."

After a few minutes, Madam Pomfrey cleared him. "You're lucky. The cut was deep but it missed the major nerves and veins. You should take it easy with that arm, but you should be fine within a few hours, sooner with the Shadow Phoenix tears in your blood."

Harry nodded and continued on his way, back to class.

X0X0X0X0X0

The first couple of weeks of term went by fairly fast. Harry easily got into a routine with his classes. He and Hermione had decided, this year, to allow their classmates a chance to answer the questions before raising their hands. This allowed their classmates a chance to gain points and many of them appreciated the courtesy.

He had specifically not read as much as he could on the Runes that he would cover at Hogwarts. He had really only studied the most obscure Runes and those that weren't used in Britain. Therefore, his Ancient Runes class was slightly more interesting; however, the first few lessons were boring because they only went over the basics.

Hermione, on the other hand, had been studying Arithmancy for the better part of two years and she found that, while the class kept her attention, she was still bored in the class. They took to advancing their studies in each class. They would also work on some of their mundane studies, when they had the time.

Their first Muggle Studies class set the tone for the rest of the year. Professor Potter spent her time explaining what they were going to cover that term. She explained that the goal of her class was to ensure that they would be able to blend into the Muggle world much better than their parents. She also hoped that the class would generate some interest in the Muggle world, considering that Muggles made up ninety-eight percent of the world's population and they had come up with different things over the centuries that even magic couldn't do.

When asked what she meant, she gave examples of movies, computers, and planes. She explained automobiles, as well as explaining how Muggles had already gone to the moon and back. She did her best to explain some of the concepts to the students and encouraged those that knew what she was trying to explain, to help her out. She explained that there would be a research paper written at the end of each term and they would choose the topic.

By the end of the class, both Harry and Hermione were suitably impressed with her teaching style. After class, Lily asked Harry and Hermione to stay behind. Once everyone had left the room, she Silenced the room and sealed the door. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other but did nothing.

Lily turned to them, "I wanted to talk to you two in private. First, I want you to know that I do not plan on trying to use my class time with you to influence you. I may want you to come back to our family, but I will respect your wishes to not pester you about it. However, I do wish that you would at least try to get to know Rose. Anyway, that isn't the reason I asked to talk with you in private. I wanted to warn you. I gave the Headmaster your warning, but I don't think he will listen to it. I wanted to let you know that I think he will try something to get you back under his control."

Harry nodded, "Thank you. I plan on getting to know Rose, I don't hold her accountable. I understand why you did what you did. I may not like it, but I understand. You wanted both of us to survive and because you believed Chris was the Boy-Who-Lived, you spent all of your time on him. You wanted us both to survive and thought that by taking my magic away and giving it to Chris, it would allow that to happen. I understand your reasoning. However, it will be a long time before I will allow myself to forgive you for it. Thank you for your warning, don't worry, I know he'll try something, to be honest, I've been expecting it since our first meeting in first year. Don't worry about me."

Lily sighed sadly. It was more than she deserved and she knew it.

"Is there a way for me to let you know if I hear anything?"

Harry nodded. "I guess you could call Gwen, she might come. If not, just send something to Ragnok, I'll let him know to send me anything you send him."

With that, the two Ravenclaws walked out of the classroom.

X0X0X0X0X0

Before she knew it, Hermione's birthday had arrived. She was pleasantly surprised to find that, somehow, her roommates had found out her birthday had come. She got some candy and a catalogue for clothes from Gladrags in Hogsmeade, along with a coupon for a book in the small village. She was happy to receive a new charm for her bracelet from Harry as well as a necklace from Luna, with a matching set of earrings from Ginny. The twins got her prank items from Zonko's Joke shop, while her Slytherin friends, together, got her a book on Arithmancy that she didn't have.

She had thought that the surprises were over, but Harry dragged her away from the Library that evening. He wouldn't tell her where he was taking her as they walked down the grounds and towards the Forbidden Forest, where they saw Hagrid standing in the enclosure of the hippogriffs, feeding Buckbeak. They said hello and he smiled knowingly at Hermione, leading them over to Buckbeak. Once they bowed and received a bow in return, Harry climbed onto his back, then reached a hand down to Hermione. She stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he was doing. Finally, she relented and clambered onto Buckbeak behind Harry. She barely had enough time to wrap her arms around him before the hippogriff took off.

They soared around the castle a few times and skimmed over the Black Lake. After a while, they changed directions and flew over the top of the forest. By that point, Hermione was much more relaxed, loosely holding on to Harry while resting her head on his shoulder. Towards the end, they caught sight of the sunset and sat and watched it for a time. Finally, Buckbeak landed and they thanked Hagrid for helping them.

On their way back, Hermione refused to let Harry go and would pull him to a stop every so often to "thank" him. He was more than happy to accommodate her and it took them nearly a half-hour to get back to the castle.

Neither saw an old man watching them as they made their way back to the castle and neither saw the calculating look on his face.

Lily Potter watched from her office window, as her oldest son and his best friend made their way back to the castle after what she thought was the sweetest thing she had ever seen. She smiled as she saw the expression on his face and remembered seeing him light up whenever he caught sight of her. She was sad that his life hadn't started out happy and was angry with herself for playing a part in that, but she was happy that he had found someone to be happy with and glad that he found people who did what she had failed to do; take care of her son. She knew she could never make up for what she did, but she vowed to herself to help him keep his happiness and do whatever it took to mend their relationship as best she could. She knew she had lost the right to be his mother but she would always be there for him, in whatever way he needed her to be.

X0X0X0X0X0

It was the end of the first month of term and the professors gathered for the staff meeting. Everyone was there, except the Headmaster. As they waited, a few professors gathered their notes and thought back on the previous month. Remus Lupin thought back to one of his first classes with the Ravenclaw Third years, specifically the lesson on Boggarts.

_Flashback_

The class filed in to find a large wardrobe sitting in the middle of the room. As a few neared it, it shook violently, startling them. Harry and Hermione knew instinctively what it was, that inside the wardrobe was a Boggart. Harry sighed, he had a very good idea of what his Boggart would be, but he didn't feel like sharing with the rest of the school what it was. Hermione was slightly curious but at the same time, slightly nervous. She thought she might know what her Boggart was, but at the same time, she wasn't sure. She shivered slightly, remembering the feeling and memories the Dementor brought back. She thought it would probably be a Dementor, but she remembered reading about Boggarts turning into loved ones and either saying hurtful things or playing dead. She shivered slightly more noticeably and Harry gave her a look.

He put up a Notice-Me-Not field and asked, _Are you okay?_

Hermione looked at him and showed him what she was afraid of.

Harry saw it, and smiled at her, _You don't ever have to think that._

With that, he showed her what he saw in the Mirror of Erised. At first she paused, trying to figure out what he was showing her, then she smiled when she realized what it was. Her eyes teared up and he wiped them away.

_You will never be alone again. You have me, Luna, Miku, your parents. Don't worry about some Boggart._

Hermione smiled and nodded at him. He had taken her fears and wiped them away. With that, she realized what the Boggart would be. She knew that Harry and her friends would never leave her and she knew that Harry was smart enough to ask for help if he needed it and would be able to take care of himself. The only thing she was afraid of was the thoughts and feelings that she felt when she was younger and alone.

During all of this, they missed Professor Lupin's explanation and the first part of the class. When they turned back to the class, Remus had Hannah Abbot at the front of the class; she was telling him that her fear was snakes. Remus started explaining what would happen when he opened the door. After a few moments of deep breaths, Hannah gave him the okay. Remus opened the door slowly and a giant snake slithered out of the wardrobe. From what Harry could see, it was taking all of Hannah's courage to not bolt for the door. She ignored all the gasps and mild squeaks of fright and levelled her gaze on the serpent. Harry watched her expression turn to one of intense concentration. All of a sudden, she yelled, "**Riddikulus!**" Almost immediately, the snake reared back and started to shrink in on itself until it was a small can with a label, "Mixed Nuts."

Harry started laughing and seemed to be the only one who got the joke.

When everyone stared at him, he explained, "It's a prank that I saw in the U.S. You give the can to someone, they open it, and spring-loaded fake snakes jump out of the can at the person who opened it. That was good Hannah, I would have never thought of something like that!"

She smiled shyly at him. "It's part of why I'm afraid of snakes. My cousins gave me one of those when I was really little. It scared me half to death, but after a while, I looked back on it and laughed. But the fear of snakes never left."

"Very good, Miss Abbot," Remus smiled. "Now, everyone form a line, Hannah, go to the back of the line and -"

Harry sighed and interrupted, "Uh, Professor? Could I talk to you for a moment?"

Remus looked at him curiously, "Could it wait?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I already know what my Boggart will most likely be and I don't think the students should be subjected to its effects."

Everyone looked at him curiously. Remus sent the Boggart back into the wardrobe, turned, and asked, "Would you be willing to share what you believe it is? And how you know?"

Harry shrugged, "It might a Dementor, and as you know a Boggart acquires the effects of whatever they turn into. Or, it could be..." he paused, not sure if he should share it.

Remus prompted, "If you really don't wish to share, you can sit out."

"No, I'm fine," Harry sighed. "When I was ten years old, I went with a group of people to Africa. I was learning a bit about wand crafting. It was just me, a master wand crafter and his apprentice. We were with a group that were testing out their survival training. While we were there, our party was attacked by a Nundu." The whole class erupted into slight shrieks and murmuring. Remus went pale as he looked at Harry, trying to comprehend how he survived the encounter.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, um yes. I believe you can be excused from this; however, I will still need to test you. You will have to have a private lesson where I will have to request additional staff members, in case you are correct."

Harry nodded and took a step to the back of the classroom. He gave Hermione an encouraging smile and watched as Remus resumed the lesson, though it was slightly more subdued. Each student faced the Boggart and the shape-shifter changed into many different forms. Ranging from a giant spider, an eyeball, or a mummy, all the way up to a Nazgul, from the "Lord of the Rings," though the person, Patrick Stebbins, had clearly thought the creature up and simply went with his imagination when he thought about it.

Towards the end of the line, Hermione waited until it was her turn. She was slightly shaking but stepped forward anyway. The moment she did, the "severed head" started to shift form. Harry started to move forward slightly, in case Hermione needed him and saw what shape the Boggart was taking before it finished taking shape. Floating, in the front of the class, was a Dementor. More than a few people shrieked in terror and its debilitating effects, diminished as they were, still affected the class. Harry shot forward and cast his Patronus, the raven flew at the "Dementor" and started to force it back, soon, Hermione's falcon joined it, and once the two birds had forced it back into the wardrobe Remus slammed the door shut.

Almost immediately, the wardrobe started to shake again. Hermione was wide-eyed but seemed to be okay. Harry shook his head and slowly tried to get what few memories that had escaped back under control. Remus looked at the rest of the class and sighed.

"Well, that is the end of the lesson; anyone still feeling any sort of effects from the Boggart, please see me, otherwise, you are excused. Harry, Hermione, could you please stay behind?" Remus asked.

Both Ravenclaws nodded and slowly packed their things up. As the last person left the classroom, Remus sealed it. Turning back to the two, he asked, "Harry, would you be willing to face the Boggart now? Or at a later date?"

Harry shrugged. "Now is fine. I wouldn't have said anything, but like I said, a Boggart has the same abilities as whatever it transforms into, even if the abilities are diminished. I just didn't think that the students needed to see that."

Hermione apologized, "I'm sorry Professor. I thought it was a good possibility that it would be a Dementor but I wasn't sure."

Remus smiled. "Don't worry about it Hermione. That's why I was here."

With that, he cast a Patronus and a silvery wolf came of the end of his wand. He gave it a quick message and sent it off.

"I've sent a message to Professors Potter, Flitwick, McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore as well as Aurors Black and Potter. It may be a bit much, but you never know. I hope that is alright, Harry?" Remus queried.

Harry shrugged. "No, it doesn't bug me. It may well be just a Dementor, because I've seen one so recently. All I know is that you have never seen anything until you've been attacked by a Nundu."

"Would you be willing to talk about it?" Remus asked.

Harry thought about it, he knew he couldn't say anything about Shadow Magic, but Hermione swiftly helped him come up with a realistic story. He nodded.

"Well, like I said, I was with a few people learning about wand crafting and we took a trip to Africa. We joined a small group that were learning survival training. At some point, we realized that something was wrong. We realized that we were being hunted by something. We thought it was just a simple lion or pride of lions. With a few spells, we could have taken care of that. When we saw the Nundu, a few panicked, but were brought back to focus. There was only about ten of us, so we had to work together." Remus paled. He knew that it normally took double their numbers, minimally. Preferably thirty or more people were needed to safely take one down.

Harr continued, oblivious to Remus' thoughts. "We sort of had to have a few of us play bait." Again Remus paled and stopped breathing. "I was one of the best people to do it because I could shift and move around a lot faster than everyone else. Eventually, we worked together and took it down. Someone conjured chains and they managed to get them around its neck. We tied to a few trees and eventually strangled it."

"Didn't it just turn on the people on the other side of the chain?" Remus asked.

Harry smirked. "No. I... kept its attention on me. Whenever it started to lose interest in me, I sent an overpowered stinging hex at its face. No one was seriously hurt, a few got sick from the leftover vapours of its breath, but they recovered. Anyway, that was my encounter with a Nundu."

As he finished, the classroom door opened and the Professors and Aurors stepped in.

"Ah, Mr Daniels, Miss Granger. I trust that you have enjoyed the start of term?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded. "It's been good."

Dumbledore nodded and turned to Remus. "Why have you called us here, Remus?"

Lupin smiled weakly at Lily, James, and Sirius. "Well, we seem to have a bit of a problem. We were going over Boggarts in class today and Harry brought up a slight problem that I hope you all could help me with. He did not face the Boggart because of what he thought it would become. I still must grade him on it, and I was hoping that you could assist in case it gets out of hand."

Snape sneered, "What's wrong, Potter, afraid to face it in front of everyone?"

Harry studiously ignored him and waited patiently for the professors to call on him. Lily glared at Snape and Remus coughed.

"Yes well, see the problems is, as you all know, a Boggart acquires the abilities of whatever it turns into, only slightly diminished," the Defence Instructor said.

Flitwick nodded. "What do you believe it will turn into, Harry?"

The Third Year looked him in the eye, "Either a Dementor or a Nundu."

His statement was met with silence. He continued, "If it's just a Dementor, than I apologize for wasting your time."

McGonagall blustered, "JUST A DEMENTOR!"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I can take care of those with relative ease. A Nundu would be much more problematic."

Hermione smirked at his blasé attitude about everything.

"Do you honestly expect us to believe you have seen a Nundu?" Snape sneered.

Harry shrugged. "I don't care what you believe. You can leave it you want. If you really want to know the truth, ask a goblin if Ragnok really does have a Nundu tooth in his office and where he got it."

Dumbledore coughed slightly and motioned for everyone to get into position. Harry stood in front of the wardrobe and waited for Professor Lupin to open it. When he did, it took a few moments for the Boggart to decide on a form. Eventually, everyone watched in silent horror as a giant cat stepped out of the wardrobe. They all could already feel the sickening effects of its breath. It crept closer to Harry as he stared it in the eye. Finally, just as it was getting ready to pounce, Harry yelled, "**Riddikulus!**" The spell connected in mid-air with the giant leopard, transforming it into a small, but completely soaked tabby cat. Almost immediately, the cat saw Hermione and everyone watched as it took the shape of a Dementor again.

Harry wasn't in the mood to deal with it again and cast his Patronus, along with Hermione. They drove the creature back, just as Dumbledore and the other professors conjured their Patroni. Together, they drove the Boggart back into the wardrobe.

_End Flashback_

Remus remembered the conversation that followed the lesson. Lily had nearly had kittens when she heard how they beat the real Nundu. Snape was still in a state of shock and Albus was as shocked as everyone else. Though he seemed slightly more interested in the fact that both Harry and Hermione could cast a fully corporeal Patronus.

He was brought out of his memories as the Headmaster stepped into the room. He sat down and started the meeting off. The other professors gave their reports on how their classes were going. The four Heads of House all gave reports on their students standing in their Houses.

"Does anyone have anything to report about our new Third Years? Anyone who stands out this year? Anyone having trouble adjusting to the new course load?" he asked.

When no one had anything to say, Albus began, "What of Mr Daniels and Miss Granger? They are the top two students in the school. How are they handling their new course load?"

Flitwick said, "I have noticed that they don't volunteer answers as much as they used to, however, I've also seen that they seem to watch their classmates and if no one has an answer, then they offer one."

"I agree. It seems that they are allowing their classmates the chance to answer questions before beating them to it," McGonagall nodded.

Professor Babbling offered, "I only teach Mr Daniels in my class, but I also help Miss Granger self-study. From what I have seen, they both have a very good knowledge base for the art; however, Mr Potter seems to also have a passion that few have for it.

Professor Vector nodded. "I agree. I only teach Miss Granger in my class, but like Bathsheba, I also help Mr Potter self-study so that he may take his OWLs for the subject. They seem to have a very good understanding of Arithmancy; however, Mr Potter seems to get bored very quickly with it. He understands the subject better than some fifth years, but he doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as Miss Granger. She is very enthusiastic about it and we spend a great deal of time outside of class talking. I asked Mr Potter about his lack of interest and asked why he was taking the subject when he obviously doesn't enjoy it as much."

She smiled, remembering the conversation. "His response was that, he enjoys it, but it comes too easy for him and he likes a challenge. When I asked him to expand and talk about what he learned in other countries, he explained to me that there were quite a few remote places that hadn't heard of Arithmancy and he had seen magic and been taught magic that made some of what Arithmancy teaches, useless. He said that the only place that he had seen Arithmancy consistently used and applied was in Warding and Cursebreaking. He explained that he wants to eventually go into those fields, therefore, plans on getting a Mastery in the field." She remembered something and chuckled, "He also mentioned that he liked the fact that it would help him create new spells."

A few of the teachers slightly stunned at what she had said. Septima Vector was one of the youngest teachers in the school, next to Lily, Snape, and Remus. She was only three years ahead of them in school, therefore she seemed to relate better to a few of the students. Snape was generally very stand off-ish and intolerant of any student not of his own House. As for Lily, most of the student body were a bit intimidated by her status as mother of the Boy-Who-Lived and wife to a famous Auror.

After a few minutes, Lily spoke, "I haven't had them in a class before, so I don't know their normal attitude in the classroom, but I can say they both are very helpful and Harry has given me quite a few books on current Muggle technology and events."

"How is Rose doing?" McGonagall asked.

"She is doing fine," Lily smiled. "I have a house-elf tending to her during my classes and a few of the Seventh Year girls help me out when I need it."

Dumbledore brought the meeting back on track by asking Hagrid how his classes were going.

The Care Professor answered, "It's goin' well. The studen's're lovin' the creatures an' I haven' had ano'er acciden' with anyone. Harry an' Hermione have helped me ou' plenty. They don' seem to know as much about t' more harmless uns but they're more 'n happy ter help when I ask."

Remus nodded. "That sounds about right. Harry told me that he had more knowledge on spells and theory than he did with dark creatures."

After a few more comments from other professors, Dumbledore asked for an update on security.

James answered, "So far, everything is fine. We have all the ways in and out of the castle covered and when we aren't here, Sirius and myself are patrolling Hogsmeade. We have another team covering the village when we are here. Shack and his partner, Smyth. However, Smyth has been heard talking about wanting to retire soon, so that might change, but I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"The special Portkeys to get through the wards that you gave Madam Bones are securely locked at the Ministry and a team is always on standby if we call for them. Don't worry, Headmaster, we have the castle as secure as we possibly can." Sirius added.

Albus nodded.

_Somewhere North of Hogwarts_

Bellatrix looked over the letter that Pettigrew sent her. It listed all the ways in and out of the castle that he had discovered with the Marauders while in school. He also explained about their special map and the spells they used to hide themselves from it, in case it ever fell into the hands of a professor.

She smiled a manic smile. If anyone had seen her, they would have soiled their pants as soon as they saw her expression. She had a way in, now all she had to do was make a plan for once she was inside the castle.

_Downtown London_

Lucius Malfoy had learned his lesson before. He knew that he had to have a fool-proof plan to "take care" of Daniels. He knew that he was a Third Year and therefore he would be allowed to go to Hogsmeade. He also knew, from his son's letters, that he surrounded himself with Mudbloods and blood traitors. He thought about his son's latest letter and how it informed him that Daniels was apparently dating a Mudblood, Granger. He had gotten the address of her house from someone he Imperiused at the Ministry and had tried to look for it, but he had had no success.

_Maybe he put it under the Fidelius Charm. Nonsense, he's a mere Third Year. But he does have plenty of money; he could have paid someone to do it. Regardless, I will just have to get him or his Mudblood in Hogsmeade._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only play in the universe. Any ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 4

The four figures slowly made their way down the trail. Finally, they reached the dilapidated shack. The lead shadowy figure motioned for another, much shorter, figure to move forward. After a few minutes, the figure motioned for them to move forward.

The leader asked, "Clawgouge, what did you find?"

The shorter figure responded, "Standard wizard wards. A few of the more 'illegal' wards, but nothing a goblin can't take care of."

The leader nodded. "Shauna, are you ready in case we come across a parsel ward?"

Shauna nodded. "Yeah Japan. After Harry transferred his parseltongue ability, he gave me whatever he could on parselmagic."

Japan nodded and they slowly made their way up. Every so often they would have to stop and wait for Clawgouge to take down a ward or two. Eventually they got to the front porch of the shack. When Clawgouge reached for the door, Shauna's hand shot forward.

"STOP! There is a parsel ward on the door. Let me take a look."

They stayed where they were while she examined the ward on the door. After a few minutes, they heard her hiss something in the serpent language. They were startled when the snake remains nailed to the door with a knife, hissed back. Slowly the door creaked open.

The party cautiously made their way into the shack, Clawgouge and Shauna leading the others. Once inside, Shadow started muttering spells, trying to decipher where the foul magic they all sensed, was coming from.

"There is something under the floorboards, but all I can gather is it is protected by very dangerous magic. The protections are what is causing the hateful magic in the air."

The fourth man in the group, Eric Longfeather, said, "I sense the soul piece. It is something that is very subtle and you have to specifically look for in the magic around it. It is buried beneath the black magic that protects it."

Shadow nodded. "Okay, well, let's get this done and get out of here."

Clawgouge and Shauna worked together to create a hole in the wards, surrounding the horcrux. Once done, they held it in place while Shadow dispelled the more dangerous spells on the floorboards and brought a small box up. He then removed the spells on the box and took a small ring out out of it. Longfeather quickly took it and Shadow created a duplicate. He recreated the spells the original had on it, put it back in the box. They put everything back as it was and made they way off the property, re-erecting the wards back in place as they went.

After being on the property for less than an hour, they shadow walked away, leaving the magic as it was before they arrived.

X0X0X0X0X0

The month of October went by fast. Harry and Hermione continue helping their friends with magic and with the patronus charm. They give each of their friends books on different magics from other countries as well as books on mind magic, stating that it would help them with their overall magic. Towards the end of September, their small group got two new members. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot approached them in the Library and they all became fast friends. Harry and Hermione taught them a bit about wandless magic and about what he learned before Hogwarts. They found that Hannah was almost as good at Herbology as Neville Longbottom, while Susan was good with Defense. She explained that it was because her aunt, Amelia Bones, was head of the DMLE.

"Growing up with my auntie being an auror, meant that she taught me while I was young." she explained.

Outside of their small group of friends, both Harry and Hermione taught Luna a bit about what they learned over the summer. They explained a bit about the theory that they learned and about how magic moved and was always around. Harry assured Hermione that they could explain and talk about it because other people could learn about it and find the temple. They only thing they couldn't talk about was Shadow Magic and Order business. Anything else they learned could be talked about because it wasn't exclusive to the Order. Luna was fascinated with the temple and asked if they thought she could go there one day.

Harry answered, "I don't see why not. I'll have someone ask them for you."

Luna smiled and hugged the life out of him when he told her that.

The House of Shadows made a spectacular return halfway through October. One morning, during breakfast, there was a commotion at the staff table. None of the students figured what was going on before they had to leave for class. When they got to class, they found directions waiting on the board and their professors sitting at their desks. Not a word was said and the students got to work.

About half way through their Transfiguration class, Chris asked a question about the spell they were learning; transfiguring a small coin into a beetle. They were working their way up to larger items and animals. When he asked his question, McGonagall shook her head and waved her wand at the board. The answer to his question appeared on the board. After a few minutes, everyone got the hint that she couldn't speak.

After their first class, word spread and soon everyone knew that none of the professors said a word during their classes. At lunch, the staff had yet to say anything. Finally, Snape lost his temper and stood.

"Whoever cast this spell on us, end it now or you will be expelled!"

There was complete silence in the Great Hall. Snape's voice had been changed. Instead of his normal voice, he appeared to have the voice of what all muggleborns and some half bloods recognized as 'The Cookie Monster" from "Sesame Street". All of a sudden the hall was filled with roaring laughter and students falling to the floor, holding their sides.

Someone, most thought it was the Weasley twins, conjured cookies and sent them to Snape on a plate. From there, the inhabitants of the Great Hall witnessed another part of the prank. Snape, most unwillingly, snatched up the cookies and transfigured the plate into a huge bag. He then started muttering about cookies and seemed to be obsessed with them. He took his wand and started transfiguring everyone's food into cookies and stealing them. Once the bag was full, he bolted from the hall.

As he ran, he yelled, "No one will steal my cookies! I will hide them from the thieves!"

It was soon apparent that he wasn't the only staff member affected by the prank. McGonagall had Tweety Bird's voice, Dumbledore had Elmer Fudd's. Hagrid had Fozzy Bear's while Flitwick had Bugs Bunny and Lily had Mrs Piggy's voice. Even the two aurors patrolling the school seemed to have been caught; James Potter and Sirius Black had Bert and Ernie's voices and Remus Lupin had Kermit the Frog's voice.

It seemed that whoever got the staff made sure to get every single professor and staff member in the castle. The prank lasted for two days before it ended and the House of Shadows took credit for it. Most of the students thought it was one of the funniest things they had seen while at Hogwarts, while others, mainly the Head Boy, Percy Weasley, thought it was abhorrent and tried to get Harry and Hermione both in detention for it. They were saved when they voluntarily handed their wands over to staff members to be tested. When they got them back, they were let go, but with much suspicion. Harry also detected a tracking charm on his wand, he immediately removed it and started checking his property.

He found no less than twenty different charms on his trunk, different articles of clothing and school books. He immediately removed them all and had Hermione and Luna check their things as well. Once they were done, all three had removed nearly a combined, one hundred different charms from their things. The charms ranged from tracking charms, listening charms to magical signature tracing charms. Every charm they found had the same magical signature and pointed to one conclusion; Albus Dumbledore was responsible for each and every charm they found. Harry was beyond angry with the invasion of privacy. He immediately got a new notebook out and started making a list of the different charms they found on their things, a plan forming in the back of his head.

They decided they wouldn't do anything at the time and would simply build a case against the old man. They would check their things each day to see if they found anything new. They also blood bound their belongings to themselves so they couldn't be taken. For added security, all three of them warded their trunks as heavily as they could get away with. Harry then wrapped an illusion ward around their trunks to trick anyone who looked at them. It would let them see that there were minimum wards and when opened, nothing would be in them.

They continued to teach their friends and learn more about the magic they learned over the summer. Lily, at various times, sent them a few messages about what Dumbles might have been planning, but nothing they didn't already know. Towards the end of the October, Hermione noticed a large empty space on the seventh floor and started to look into it. She told Harry and they started to spend most of their spare time searching the area for any clues as to what it could be.

_Cave in the Mountains, North of Hogwarts_

Bellatrix sat in the cave, trying to plan out an attack that would let her capture the brat who defeated her lord. She already had a plan to get into the castle, she needed a way back out of the castle.

After a few days of trying to come up with a solid plan, she screamed in frustration. She realized she needed assistance, from someone who knew the castle better than most and someone that could get into and out of the castle undetected. She snarled when she realized who she needed. She sent for Wormtail. Her lord sent him back to her once he had found him. A few other Death Eaters had stayed to take care of him in his weakened form.

Once Wormtail was before her, she said, "It's your lucky day Peter. Because of your... unique ability to get into and out of places virtually undetected, I have a mission for you."

As she told him what she wanted him to do, he whimpered but nodded his agreement. She sent him off and cackled madly at her plan. She crucioed him as he walked out, glad that she had finally found a wand that worked for her. She had had to kill three witches and two wizards before she found one that worked.

"Soon, soon I will have the brat and take him to my master and be back on top. Soon we will have the people of Magical Britain fearing us again!"

_Hogwarts Castle_

The end of October had arrived and Harry was tense.

When asked why, he replied, "Halloween was the day I became an unwanted guest in my former family's home and the past two Halloweens, something bad has happened. I'm sensing a pattern developing."

The only bright note, was that it was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. When they got up, Harry put on a pair of black jeans that were reinforced with basilisk hide inside and had temperature control charms on them. He put on a simple white button-down shirt and left the top two buttons undone and didn't tuck it in. With that, he threw on his favorite black leather jacket, from Jammel, which was also reinforced with basilisk hide. He also put on black dragonhide boots he got in Texas, and then made his way down to the common room to wait for Hermione. As promised, he was making their first trip to Hogsmeade, their first "official" date.

He was sitting in the common room, reading a book when he felt an urge to look up. He saw Hermione coming down the stairs wearing a pair of tight blue jeans, he knew that all her clothes were also reinforced with basilisk hide as well. She had a white button down blouse and the leather jacket he knew Miku had sent her and she had her hair in a ponytail.

He got up and went over to her. He gave her a hug and said, "You look great Mione. Let's get some breakfast then we can go."

She nodded and smiled brightly at him. When they got down, they noticed a lot of people stare at them, but didn't think anything of it. When they sat down with their friends, they asked what everyone was staring at.

Tracy smirked, "You really don't see it?" at their head shakes, she continued, "You two look good. Honestly, if I didn't already know you were with Hermione, I would try and snatch you up, Harry." Daphne, Susan, Ginny and Hannah nodded.

When she saw Hermione's expression Daphne laughed, "Don't worry Hermione. We know we wouldn't stand a chance against you. Besides, you look as good as Harry. Haven't you noticed? While all the girls are staring at Harry, most of the guys and even a few girls are staring at you."

Hermione glanced around her and realized she was telling the truth. She started blushing heavily but smirked.

Before long, the three Slytherins and two Hufflepuffs finished their meal and left for the village.

As Harry and Hermione were finishing up, Flitwick came up to them and asked, "Harry, the Headmaster has requested that you come to his office. Would you like me to accompany you as well?"

Harry looked at him, the Charms professor seemed both angry and disappointed. He glanced up at Dumbledore sitting at the staff table, the old man was staring right at him, his eyes twinkling.

Harry sighed and nodded. "Hermione, I'll be back in a few."

Flitwick sighed, "I'm afraid that Miss Granger must come as well."

Hermione and Harry glanced at one another, then nodded. They followed their head of house up to the Headmaster's office. Once inside, they were met with all of their professors.

"It has come to my attention that the two of you may be breaking the school bylaws about conduct in classes. Particularly those dealing with cheating in class."

Harry simply raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And who has told you this?"

McGonagall and the other professors all wanted the same question answered, and voiced their desire.

Dumbledore waved off the question, "It does not matter. The complaint has been made and I must investigate it. Now what have you two have to say for yourselves?"

He looked at Harry, then moved his gaze to Hermione. After a few moments of staring at her, he flinched back, as if struck.

Hermione simply said, "I wouldn't try to get into my head again Headmaster. It would be bad for your health. My mind is as well protected as Harry's and I don't take kindly to someone trying to break into it."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, but continued the grandfatherly facade, "I have no idea what you are talking about my dear."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Riiight. Well, what are you going to ask? We have plans for the day and you are holding us up."

Harry hid a smirk, he really had rubbed off on her. A few years before and he would have thought she was someone else, in disguise and she would have been mortified at someone acting that way towards a professor. The other professors, all but Snape, scowled at Dumbledore for trying to invade her mind. Dumbledore regarded both of them for a few moments. He tried to intimidate them by simply staring at them until they became uncomfortable. However, it didn't seem to affect them, they simply stared right back at him.

After a few minutes of tense silence, McGonagall snapped, "Enough Albus! Ask your questions so that we can all be done here!"

Dumbles sighed, as if disappointed. "Very well. It has come to my attention that you may be using some of the skills, that young Harry learned before his education here started and that he taught you, Miss Granger, to cheat in some of your classes."

Harry asked, "How?"

Dumbles blinked, "I'm afraid that I don't understand the question?"

Harry reiterated, "How are we cheating? What skills are we using to cheat?"

Dumbledore replied, "That is what we are here to discuss and talk about. You can first explain to us the different skills you have learned while away."

Harry sighed, "I don't have time for this."

He took out his wand, Hermione doing the same thing. They both swore a magical oath that they weren't cheating and that all of their work was their own.

Harry asked, "Are we done?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth but McGonagall cut across him, "Yes. You may go. Have a pleasant day in the village."

The two students nodded and walked out of the office.

Once they were gone, Dumbledore turned on his Deputy, "Why did you do that Minerva? I was most certainly not done questioning them!"

McGonagall turned him, "I have never seen any indication that they have ever cheated in my class, nor has anyone else. Was there even a real complaint or was this another way for you to try and control Mr. Daniels?"

The other professors nodded their agreement and without letting Dumbledore answer, they all walked out of his office, leaving him fuming.

_I must get control of Daniels! Even if he isn't the child of prophecy, the influence of the Gryffindor Family should be used to help with the war. I need to get leverage on him. I had hoped that by bringing Miss Granger, it might make him more inclined to listen to me. Maybe I need something else..._

Once in the Village, Harry and Hermione made their way to all the different shops. They looked in Zonko's Joke Shop, but didn't find anything that they wanted, though they did see the twins talking with Lee Jordan. They went to the parchment and quill shop to get replacements for Luna and Ginny. They also got a few blank books for themselves as well. They went to Honeydukes and found their Slytherin and Hufflepuff friends, they bought some candy for themselves, Luna and Ginny.

Afterwards they walked around, sharing some candy. They greeted a few students and even saw Lily and James Potter. Lily was holding Rose as they made their way through the village. Harry said hello to Rose, who again grabbed onto his hair and pulled on it, giggling all the while.

The two eventually made their way to lunch at the Three Broomsticks. They shared a lunch and sat, talking with each other. When they were done, Hermione dragged Harry to an out-of-the-way bookstore at the other end of the road. Once inside, they looked through the different books that the store had to offer. Harry sneaked off, while Hermione was reading through a particularly large tome. He made his way back to a jewelry store, he had seen earlier in the day, and went in.

A few minutes later, he walked out with a small rectangular box in his pocket. When he got back Hermione was looking around for him and asked where he went. He shrugged off the question and paid for her book, much to her protest. Afterwards, they explored the village. When they got to the Shrieking Shack, Harry remembered something he saw on his map.

"There is a tunnel from in there to below the Whomping Willow. I don't know why it's there, but It's another way inside the wards of the castle that isn't watched."

Hermione nodded. "But didn't you say that James Potter and his friends knew the school better than almost anyone?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah. I suppose they might know. Actually, now that I think about it, Professor Lupin and his 'furry problem' probably use it on those nights. It was here when they were in school so he probably used it then too."

Hermione nodded, "Speaking of that; how many people do you think figured out his problem? I mean, that lesson with Snape pretty much screamed it."

Harry snorted, "Yeah, but most won't put two and two together. Maybe a few students, but on the whole, not that many. I doubt even a handful realize it, otherwise it would be in the papers."

Hermione nodded. They continued walking around the village and eventually made their back to the castle a few hours after lunch.

When they got back, Harry pulled out the box he got in the shop while Hermione was preoccupied.

"Mione. I just wanted to say that I had a lot of fun with you and I hope we can do this again. I got you something. I know this was our first date, 'officially' and I wanted to make it special."

He gave her the box, when she opened it, she saw a beautiful silver locket, in the shape of a book. When she opened the small locket, she found a picture of herself and Harry on one side and the other, was a picture of her parents, herself and Harry in Rome. On the back was a small inscription;

_No matter what happens, you will always be in my heart and mind._

She had tears in her eyes as she finished reading it. She glanced up at Harry and gestured for him to put it on her. Once that was done, she quickly glanced around them. Upon finding themselves completely alone, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into broomstick cupboard to thank him.

At dinner the two Ravenclaws walked over to where their friends were sitting, not paying attention to the stares they were getting, all the while, both had a goofy grins on their faces. Their friends took one look at them and smirked.

Tracey coughed, "Uh, you guys might want to check yourselves out in a mirror."

Hermione and Harry glanced at each other and noticed a number of small marks on each other's necks. They both pulled out their wands, muttered nonsense under their breath and waved their wands over their hands. Then they rubbed their hands over their necks and those watching, saw the small marks fade away. When they were done, both Ravenclaws were only blushing slightly, Harry still had a grin on his face as he glanced at Hermione.

When Hermione brought her hands away from her neck, her friends were drawn to the new locket around her neck. After they were done looking at it, Tracey grinned.

"I take it you thanked him and that's what took you guys?"

Harry smirked. "Yes. She thanked me quite nicely."

Hermione blushed and slapped his arm. Harry laughed and wrapped an arm around her.

Word spread fast about the "new" couple and soon, everyone in Hogwarts knew Harry Daniels and Hermione Granger were a couple. The next day, Halloween, was very similar to the day before. Both Harry and Hermione spent the day together in Hogsmeade, exploring the small village and occasionally stopping to snog a little. The only difference was they spent a small portion of the day with their five other friends. The purebloods showed them around and they spent most of their time in the Three Broomsticks. Towards the evening, they made their way back up to the castle for the Halloween Feast.

Hermione had spent most of the day trying to keep Harry's mind off the particular date. The feast went like it always did, there was plenty to eat and plenty of celebrating. Throughout it all, Harry put on a smile and pretended to have a good time, however his friends could tell that it was an act. Hermione and Luna kept close to him, knowing that it was a hard day for him. Towards the end of the feast, Harry started to lighten up, the day was almost over and nothing bad had happened, so he was letting his guard down.

The peace was shattered when, as the Ravenclaws got to their Common Room, Professor Flitwick rushed in and ordered everyone back to the Great Hall. Once there, the students quickly learned that Peter Pettigrew was in the castle with a knife. Apparently he tried to force his way into the Gryffindor Common Room. The students were all forced to sleep in the Great Hall together, while the professors and aurors checked the castle and grounds.

Harry and Hermione quietly put up a Shadow-based Notice-Me-Not ward around themselves and checked their maps. As they finished looking over the grounds, they saw his name disappear off the edge of the map, into the Forbidden Forest. When Harry questioned Hogwarts about it, the ancient castle explained that because there were so many magical creatures within the castle and around the grounds, it was very hard to detect an animagus while in their animal form.

_Hogwarts - When in animal form, an animagus feels like an ordinary magical creature or a creature with a magical connection. Like that of your owl, Hedwig. While she is not a magical creature, she shares a familiar bond with you and Hermione and that type of bond is magical in nature._

Harry and Hermione understood and thanked the castle for explaining it to them. They cast a ward around themselves, to warn them if someone approached and started to meditate. They both decided that, because they weren't tired in the least, they would start working on another animal form. At that point, they both had mastered quite a few animals; some were harmless animals that one would see anywhere, while the others were either for hiding or attacking enemies.

When morning came, the professors and aurors gave the "all clear" and life went on as normal. The three Ravenclaws continued with their classes and continued helping their friends with wandless magic. They had also gotten them started on trying to find their inner animal while trying to help them understand the concept of true wandless magic.

One day in early November the group found themselves in the Library with Harry giving an impromptu lesson on the nature of magic.

Harry explained, "What you haven't seemed to understand is that magic isn't in the words or motions. When you guys do wandless magic, are you thinking the incantation? Are you moving any part of your body to get the spell to work?"

When they all nodded their heads Harry continued. "Magic is not words or movements of your hand or finger or anything. It just is. If it were just words and motions, don't you think that mundanes would have figured it out by now? Let me show you."

He pointed at a book on the table, "Look at that book and watch me."

With that, he turned to face the opposite way and started talking to Hermione about Arithmancy. As they talked, the book he pointed out started to float in the air and spin around in an odd dance. After a few moments, it started to change shape until it wasn't a book at all, it was an apple, then a mirror and finally, a rose.

Even after all that he had taught them, they were still amazed at the level of control that he had with magic. The three Slytherins, two Hufflepuffs and three Gryffindors were speechless as the rose floated over to Hermione's outstretched hand. She smiled at Harry, smelled the rose and then threw it back where the book had been. It reverted to its original form in mid air.

Harry turned back to them, "Do you understand that words and movements have nothing to do with how you perform magic? I could say 'pink fuzzy slippers' and create a smooth chunk of rock or a geyser of chocolate." the group laughed, "I don't need anything other than my will to do my magic."

Daphne finally asked what everyone was thinking, "But where did you learn all of this, Harry? I mean, it goes against all of what is taught and known about magic."

Harry smirked, "Ahh, you're falling into the trap of thinking that Magical Britain is keeping up with the rest of the world. I learned from all over. Though, I have to say, most other countries have forgotten a lot of this, but it is still known in remote parts of the world and it can be inferred if you study the different types of magic from around the world. You can learn any of this, if you know where to go. I've been to places where people with magic believe they can do anything with it. However, they also know that magic is like nature. There are rules that must never be broken. They respect magic and know the limits to what is and isn't possible with magic, without breaking those rules."

Tracy asked, "What are the rules then?"

Harry said seriously, "Never try and raise the dead. Never try and take total control of nature. There is always an equal exchange when dealing with magic, whether it be the energy that you expend or something else, like with rituals. And last, but not least, there is no such thing as true immortality. Sure there are ways to extend your life, but you must depend on those ways. Like the Sorcerer's Stone, it must be used to create an elixir of life to be used every hundred years or so, otherwise you will eventually die. There are others, but those four are the most important. All are important, but those must always be observed because they tend to have the ugliest and most dangerous consequences."

He thought for a moment, then, "There was a story that I was once told, it was about a man who tried to bring back his dead child. His wife was in despair and was slowly withering away. He dug up his child's body and placed it in a ritualistic circle. Once he started, he couldn't stop the ritual."

Blaise asked, "Did he create an inferi?"

Harry shook his head, "No. What he made was much worse. His child was magical, just like the rest of his family. When the man started to ritual, he was doing it with the intent to bring peace back to his wife. But the magic interpreted it differently. In the end, the ritual demanded more magic and energy than the man had to offer. So it sought out the reason behind the intent. The man died, giving his life and magic for the ritual, when he had nothing left to give, the magic went after his wife and started draining her life and magic away."

The others waited on bated breath. "She died too, in the end. When the ritual was finally over, what the man ended up creating was a shell of his child. It was undead, but it was sentient. It also had all of the child's magic, all of the man's magic and his wife's as well. Unlike hunger, the creature had a thirst for more power."

Something was tickling at the back of everyone's minds, until Luna gasped. "He created a Liche!"

When Harry nodded, the others shuddered. They had only ever heard horror stories about liches and what they were capable of.

Harry continued, "He knew the rules and laws of magic. He knew them and broke them anyway. He learned his lesson but others payed for his mistake. The elders of the surrounding villages finally destroyed the Liche by destroying the small toy the man used to call his child's spirit. Anyway, lets talk about less depressing topics."

They agreed and continued talking about magic for another few hours before leaving the Library. Harry was always sure to not include any of his training in the Order in the lessons he taught his friends. What he said was true, they could learn everything he knew, if they knew where to go. Luckily, he knew people who helped him. When he was asked, he told Hermione that, in reality, the only thing they couldn't teach their friends was Shadow Magic; everything else was fair game because he did not learn it from strictly within the Order. He only used the contacts the Order had to discover where to go to learn what he wanted.

X0X0X0X0X0

During the beginning of the third week of November, the watches Harry, Hermione and Luna had for protection, alerted them to the fact that there were foreign potions in their food. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and talked via telepathy, along with Luna, who had figured it out on her own after experimenting.

_Harry - Well, I kinda expected it sooner._

_Hermione - Do we know what type of potions?_

_Harry - No. But I'll take a sample with me when we leave. Luna, use wandless magic to determine how many potions are in your food._

After a moment of pause, she replied, _Three. I can't be sure what they are though._

_Harry - That's what I got, I wonder if we need to check with the others._

_Hermione - I doubt it. Dumbles may be controlling, but I doubt that he would dose the niece of the Director of the DMLE with potions, maybe Hannah, but definitely not Susan. As for Daph, Trace, Blaise and the Weasleys, I don't know. The first three are Slytherins so they would naturally be resistant to any of Dumbles' ploys and would draw attention if they suddenly started being buddy buddy with him. But the Weasleys are close with him so we should assume they have been dosed. _

_Harry - I'll let them know, meanwhile, we shouldn't do anything right now. We should document it and tag some evidence, but that is it. _

The two girls subtly nodded and they spent the rest of breakfast, vanishing the food they put in their mouth. Afterwards, they explained what was going on with the rest of their friends. Susan was beyond furious and immediately wanted to get her aunt involved. Harry had to talk her out of that notion. Afterwards, they cast spells on the rest of their friends and found that Hannah and the Weasleys all had potions in their systems. Harry called a house elf, Eddy, and got flushing draughts for each of them. After they drank them, they thanked Harry and he assured them that he would get them each a watch with protections on it, to alert them if their food was potioned in the future. For the time being, he wrote the rune scheme on a piece of paper and folded it into a ring, then put a Notice-Me-Not charm on it so no one would notice them.

The daily scans went on for weeks, and each time, it turned up positive for Harry, Hermione and Luna, it only turned up positive for the Weasleys and Hannah once a week. When Harry finally found out what the potions were for he and his girls, he was furious. It took a day spent in the Forbidden Forest as giant cats to calm Hermione and himself down. Luna had no such escape, therefore he created protective barriers in "their room" and let her cast disturbingly powerful and painful spells at dummies.

He found they were each almost dosed with loyalty potions keyed to Dumbledore and hostility potions keyed to each other. They expected the first two, but they did not expect the magical core suppression potion. However, for the time being, they ignored it all, kept potential evidence and continued to write down each instance they found the potions in their food and monitoring charms on their belongings, biding their time for the perfect moment to bring the old meddler down.

X0X0X0X0X0

Harry and Hermione finally got their chance two days before they were set to leave for the break. After avoiding the potions for near a month, they gave Susan the word and she sent all their evidence and paperwork, detailing each attempt, as well as memories of each student making a magical oath that they did not alter or forge any of the evidence in any way. They also decided to let people know some more about their status; specifically, Hermione's status as Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Ravenclaw and Noble House of Trisfoum and Harry's status as Head of the Noble House of Dracumis.

They talked a lot about disclosing the information but in the end, they decided that it was necessary. After it was released, Hermione would forward a letter similar to Harry's letter, to _The Daily Prophet_. They didn't really believe anyone would connect them to the other families that took their seats on the Wizengamot the previous Halloween, they allowed Gringotts to release the information as if each family was claimed at a different point in time, but all decided to come forward after Harry's appointment of a Goblin for the Wizengamot seat. They also agreed that they would not claim the Merlin and La Fey vaults as themselves, they would use Alex and Miranda to claim them, unless something came up and they were forced otherwise.

On the morning of December 17th, the doors to the Great Hall were thrown open and Amelia Bones, along with four aurors, marched in.

The headmaster stood and said, "Ah, Amelia, what brings you here today?"

Amelia gave him a cold look and said, "Albus Dumbledore, you are charged with the attempted dosing of minors with illegal potions, two of which are Heads to Noble and Ancient families, as well as attempted suppression of the magical cores of three minors, again, two of which are Heads of Ancient and Noble families."

There was utter silence in the Great Hall as she finished reading the charges. Dumbledore gave the three Ravenclaws a sharp look but nothing else.

"I believe we should take this up in my office." he finally declared.

Amelia nodded, "Fine. Mr.s Daniels and Weasley's as well as Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, Miss Lovegood and Miss Abbott, will you come with me. Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall, you may come to act as guardians for your students."

When Ron and Percy Weasley started to get up, Amelia spoke, "I'm sorry, I only need Mr Fred and George Weasley."

The twins and the rest of the students nodded and followed her to the Headmaster's office. As soon as they all exited the Great Hall, they heard a clamor of people talking about what had happened. They swiftly made their way up to the Headmaster's office and closed the door. Harry made seats for him and his friends to sit on. He also noticed that Professors Snape and Potter, as well as aurors Potter and Black were in the office too.

Dumbledore sat down and asked, "Now, what is this about?"

Amelia gave him a cold look. "This is about the fact that you have been trying to dose Mister Daniels, Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood with loyalty potions keyed to you, hostility potions keyed to each other as well as core suppression potions to each of them." The other professors gasped.

Amelia continued, "To add to that, you have been feeding Misters Weasley and Weasley as well as Miss Weasley and Miss Abbott loyalty potions keyed to you. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Dumbledore said nothing for a few short moments, then, "I have no idea what you are-"

Harry interrupted, "Don't give us that! Only the headmaster has power over the house elves in the kitchens, how else would the potions get in our food?"

Dumbledore gave him a hard look, but knew that he had brought up a good point.

He sighed. "I will admit to the loyalty potions. I only did it because they have all shown a large sense of mistrust towards me and as their headmaster, they should learn to trust me. As for the power suppression potions, they are simply for their own good. All three of them have shown a large amount of power for children of their age, I was afraid that they would lose control and injure themselves or classmates. It is my right as Headmaster and I was acting 'In Loco Parentis'."

Before Amelia could answer, Harry said, "Well, since you had to dose us to get us to trust you, we must have had a good reason. As for 'In Loco Parentis', that doesn't apply to us. I am emancipated and a Lord of multiple Houses. Hermione and Luna are under the protection of those Houses and as they are my protectorates, I act as their guardian in the magical world, including Hogwarts. Even then, the charter states that you must inform their guardians of what you intend to do, magical or not when it comes to something as serious as surppressing a magical core. I wasn't informed and neither were the Grangers, nor the Lovegoods. Nor were the Weasleys or Abbots about the loyalty potions."

Amelia added, "And what of the hostility potions keyed to each other?"

Dumbledore had no explanation, so said nothing.

James asked, "Who is the other Head of House? You said that two were Heads of Houses."

Harry smirked, "Well, I am Head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Daniels, and Gryffindor, as well as the Head of the Noble House of Dracumis."

Hermione smirked, "And I am the Head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Ravenclaw as well as the Head of the Noble House of Trisfoum."

The adults were speechless when Hermione revealed her status. After a few moments, the adults pulled themselves together and Amelia cleared her throat.

"Yes, anyway. Back to the charges."

Harry interrupted her, "I actually have a deal to offer. In exchange for not going to trial and having more of your dirty little secrets exposed, Albus, you resign from your various political positions, you can continue being Headmaster because I know that if I took that away, you wouldn't take the deal."

Snape snarled, "Why you little-"

Harry smirked at him and twitched his wand, removing Snape's mouth.

"Shut up Snape, no one asked for your opinion and no one wants to hear it."

Snape glared daggers at Harry as he turned back to face Dumbledore.

"So old man, what will it be? Resign from your other posts now, with as much dignity you have left, without a trial; or have a trial, get a lot of information about your past exposed and be forced to resign ALL of your posts in disgrace?"

Seeing the look on Dumbledore's face, Harry chuckled, "Oh, and don't think that I'm bluffing. I learned History outside of Hogwarts. I know how to properly research a person's background. I know all about your past and certain acquaintances you've had. Exactly like I learned almost everything thing there is to know about Riddle, without actually talking with the half-blood bastard with daddy issues."

Dumbledore was surprised and worried about the amount of knowledge Harry seemed to have, both on himself and on Riddle. He debated internally for a few minutes before realizing that Harry had trapped him. He could do nothing but agree to his terms or risk the Greater Good.

He sighed and nodded sadly. "I agree. In exchange for no trial, I will resign from my post as Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump. I will only retain my position as Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Harry smiled, "Great! Now that this is over, we need to go. We almost have all of our homework done for the break, we have Defense and Care left."

They all started to leave the office, ignoring the gaping looks from the adults. Once Hermione, Luna, Hannah and the Weasleys were out, Harry turned to Dumbledore with a hard look on his face, all traces of humour gone. The abrupt change in attitude startled many in the room. When he spoke, his voice sent tremors up their spines at the harshness in it.

"I warned you old man. I said I would hurt you where it hurts the most, your pride. Next time, I'll destroy you, completely and utterly. After I'm done, you'll be treated like I was while I was still a Potter; there, but avoided and ignored at all costs. I'm warning you one last time. Mess with my friends again and I will make you regret it for the rest of your existence and beyond."

He turned to Amelia, the smile back on his face. "Thank you Madam Bones, you've been a big help today." turning to Flitwick, "Professor, I wish to enact-"

Flitwick interrupted him, "Granted Mr. Daniels. The headmaster will not bother you or your friends. All I have is one question. How did you detect the potions?"

Harry smirked and raised his hand, showing the Charms Master his watch.

"I had it made by the Goblins a while ago. Hermione and Luna have one too. I plan on getting one for the rest of my friends this Christmas. By the way, I may be adding a few people to the list of those under my protection, specifically Daphne, Tracy, Blaise, Susan, Hannah and the three Weasley's that I am friends with. Since they all fall under my protection and I am in your house, the charter states that you act as the buffer for them as well, not their Heads of House, unless I permit it. Except for Tracy Daph and Blaise, Professors Sprout and McGonagall may act in the capacity as you do for me."

Flitwick nodded but before Harry left, Amelia stopped him. "Susan has my blessing Lord Gryffindor."

Harry smiled, "Please, it's just Harry to people I like. I only use the 'lord' crap to annoy those that think it's their God-given right to meddle in my life." his eyes flashed to Dumbledore's slumped form, something no one in the room missed.

After he left, Amelia stayed for a few more minutes before leaving through the Floo.

Before she did, she said, "I would count yourself lucky Albus. You got off easy in my opinion. Harry shouldn't have offered you that deal, but by the look on your face, I guess he was right, this is more painful."

With that, she stepped into the fireplace.

**A/N - I thought I would leave it there since I haven't updated in a while. I had a bit of trouble with this chapter. It was kind of rushed, so it may not be my best, but like I said, I wanted to get something up. I've been alternating between trying to write this chapter, writing the outline for the next book and dealing with the various issues my petty family has going on right now. On top of traveling to a wedding and then being back for a few days before leaving to visit a sick relative.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only play in the universe. Any ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 5

The following morning brought with it the paper and the events of the previous day were on the front page. The first part of breakfast went on in complete silence as people read about the events of the previous day. There were various reactions throughout the Hall. Almost all of Ravenclaw House bunched around Hermione, asking if she really was the Head of the Ravenclaw Family. When she confirmed it, there were still a few people claiming that she was lying, so she simply raised her right hand and showed them the Ravenclaw Family Ring. That, more than anything else, proved her claim.

After most went back to their seat, their three Slytherin friends came up to them and sat down.

"That was the most Slytherin move I have ever heard of or seen Harry! I think only Salazar could have done better." Daphne exclaimed.

Harry laughed. "Well, it's easy to act Slytherin when you know what people will do and how they will act. Hermione and I have been expecting the potions since first year. I've met people like Dumbles before, so I knew how it would eventually turn out."

At their questioning looks, he explained. "He needs to be in control of everything, so I knew that he would resort to potions if he couldn't get me on his side or use Mione or Luna to get to me. I probably wouldn't have gone as far as I did, if not for the fact that he allowed Dementors on the school grounds and he tried to give Mione and Luna the core suppression potions. Dementors are foul creatures that shouldn't be around people. Civilised people wouldn't even use them for what they are used for now. They would contract out to other species as guards or employ other witches and wizards. And suppressing the core of someone without their knowledge is beyond dangerous to them. If they were to tire out their core, they would lapse into a magical coma and in that state, without their core replenishing itself, their core could be smothered"

Hermione nodded, and the group ignored the looks they got from the Staff table, specifically from Snape and Dumbles. Fred and George, along with Ginny came over from the Gryffindor table and Susan and Hannah, from the Hufflepuff table.

The twins started, speaking as one, "Well little Harrykins, Miss Mione, one might think that you two are trying to take over Britain, and make a fool out of Dumbles at the same time."

Harry laughed and turned to Hermione, then Luna. They smirked at each other and turned back to their friends.

"Why would we want to take over? We prefer other countries to Britain. Countries where we can drive, watch the telly, talk on the phone and use computers without being classed as weird or outcasts. As for making a fool out of Dumbles, we freely admit to that." when they spoke as one, it surprised more than just their friends, the people listening in were surprised too.

They continued, but separately.

"And the-"

"Only one who-"

"Can call me-"

"Mione is"

"Me."

Harry finished it off and the twins stared at them for a moment, then turned to each other.

"Well, dear brother, I believe they have us beat."

"I agree brother mine. We know how we do, but how do they?"

They turned a questioning look to the three Ravenclaws.

Hermione smirked, "That is for use to know,"

Harry finished, "And for you to think about."

Blaise interrupted, "Please Merlin, stop! I'm getting whiplash."

Everyone in their group laughed and finished their meal. After they were done, the older students said goodbye to Ginny and Luna and headed for Hogsmeade. They had all finished their holiday work and were looking forward to the break. Harry and Hermione spent most of their time with each other, as they always did in the village, however, they did meet their friends for lunch and to head back to the castle later in the day.

X0X0X0X0X0

Albus Dumbledore wasn't having a good day. Ever since the previous day, after Amelia left, his staff had been giving him dirty looks. He remembered the conversation after.

_Flashback_

As soon as Flitwick closed the door, he turned to those remaining; Lily and James, Severus, Minerva and Sirius.

He asked, "Lily, did Harry give any indication that he knew what was going on?"

Lily held back a scowl, she couldn't believe that the old man would go as far as potions! She may want Harry back, but she would never give him potions to force him. She decided that she would have to play along if she wanted to keep informed on what Dumbledore was going to do next.

"No. But when he and I spoke last time, he seemed to know that you were going to do something. He seemed to expect it and felt that it would give him reason to hit back at you. He did warn you Headmaster." Lily answered, to which the Headmaster scowled at.

McGonagall was appalled at what Albus had done. He must have realized that he would be found out. Why would he try and block the cores of three students? He knew how dangerous it would be for them! She decided to continue to watch Albus and see if she could help her students. As much as she respected the Headmaster, she cared for her students more and with what he did, the respect she had for the Headmaster had dropped severely.

Snape spoke up, "I think your problem is that you still think of him as a Gryffindor. As much as I am loath to admit it, he is not. He is much smarter than a half-wit Gryffindor." he ignored the glares and insults from the other Gryffindors in the office.

Dumbledore stroked his beard and thought for a few moments.

McGonagall interrupted his train of thought. "Regardless. You can't do anything else Albus. At least not this year. You can't break the school Charter, or you will be suspended as Headmaster. You have no business with the Wizengamot anymore. I suggest that you not do anything else this year. We can still speak with him and try to influence him."

Lily saw where her old professor was going and joined in. "Yes, as much as I dislike your methods, I still want my son back, so let us try and talk to him. This way, if we can't get him to see our way, you can have a plan for next year."

Albus nodded, _It's a sound plan. While they try and persuade the boy into following me, I can continue trying to change the rules of the tournament. I almost have the other schools on board with the new tournament. I just need to push them a bit more. They will never participate in it, if Hogwarts has three champions, even if two are unwilling champions._

He nodded, and gestured for them to leave.

_End Flashback_

Albus angrily slammed his fist on his desk. "Now, everything is on the front page of the newspaper! I need that boy to willingly follow me! Can't he see that it's for the Greater Good that I am the Leader of the Light! I only want what is best."

He looked up and saw another crowd of owls headed for his window. He groaned. He had received so many howlers in just a few short hours that the elves were overwhelmed and the owls slipped through his system. It seemed as if every witch and wizard in Britain had sent him howlers. He heard the owls start tapping on his window and groaned again. _Today is going to be a long day._

X0X0X0X0X0

The following day, Harry and his friends got done with their exercise and went back to their dorms to freshen up. Afterwards, they packed their things up and met back down in the Great Hall. They only had an hour before they needed to be on the train, headed back to England. All three Ravenclaws were smirking at the rest of their friends. They had finally gotten the other eight of their group to join them in their workouts. It had happened after Hermione challenged the twins to a fight and soundly beat them in under a minute. It also helped that Harry mentioned it would help them with their Quidditch training.

They laughed and discussed their plans for the holidays and Luna informed them that her and her parents were going to Finland that year. Harry smiled and said he was spending it with Hermione and her folks.

The twins smirked and said, "Well, of course, you always do. Have to make a good impression on them, they could be your future in-la-"

Hermione was blushing profusely, but said, "Don't finish that sentence if you wish to keep your hair and skin color the same over the break."

The twins shut up immediately and the rest of their friends laughed. They had all heard and seen what Harry and Hermione had done to the Gryffindor trio over the past couple of years. After a few minutes, the twins said farewell and left to meet Lee Jordan and their other friends.

After a while, the seven friends started walking towards the train to board. Along the way, Lily Potter came up to them and asked if she could speak with Harry for a moment.

When the two got to a secluded spot, Harry took out his wand and Lily felt powerful wards surround them. She looked at Harry questioningly and he shrugged.

"My secret. You didn't think I gave all of them up did you?"

Lily smiled slightly, "No I guess not. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I think we got Albus to leave you alone for the time being. He thinks that we are trying to get you to see his way. Minerva is on your side too."

Harry nodded, "Thank you Lily. I know he won't let up that easily, so I'm not worried. He will always underestimate me because of my perceived age and power, so I will always have the upper hand. He thinks of himself as the 'end-all, be-all' of wizards. Like I said in first year; I know plenty of witches and wizards that are much stronger than him. I know he is strong, but he is far from 'all-powerful'. Learn to use mage-sight, you might learn something about the people around you."

Lily looked at him oddly, but nodded. He dropped the wards around them and left. He found them already in a compartment and were talking about their various plans.

Ginny looked up, "What did she want Harry?"

"Just wanted to let me know what Dumbles is up to. She and McGonagall are both on our side but will try and let me know what he has planned. Anyway, so what are your plans for the break Ginny?"

They spent most of the trainride talking about their plans; apparently the Weasleys had won the _The Daily Prophet Grand Prize_ and had spent the first part of their summer in Egypt with the oldest son and brother, Bill. Because of this, they decided they would go to Romania for the first part of the holidays to see the second oldest, Charlie. Daphne and Tracy informed the group that they were spending the holidays together in Italy. Blaise was just having a normal Christmas with his parents.

After a while, everyone took out a book to read and they spent the rest of the train ride in silence. A few times, the silence was disrupted by the Gryffindor idiots or Nott and the new Slytherin idiots. It seemed that since Malfoy had stopped pestering them, Theodore Nott thought he would take up the mantle as "King of Slytherin". The only depressing part was that, according to Daphne, Tracy and Blaise, Theodore Nott was even more of a pompous arse and idiot than Malfoy was. It seemed that Nott had simply taken Malfoy's place.

Once they reached London, they all got off the train and met their families. Hermione had sent out her letter that morning, to _The Daily Prophet_. Both she and Harry expected it to be in the morning post the following day. As such, she and Harry were mobbed when they got off the train, by reporters clamouring to get an interview with her. When they saw Harry with his arms around her, they tried to get a statement from him as well. He had always managed to dodge them and had yet to give another quote besides his letter to the _Prophet_.

Finally, Harry got fed up with them blocking the way to the Grangers and simply let out a burst of magic, making all the reporters stumble back, giving the two students breathing room.

Hermione turned to him and said, "Thank you Harry." she turned her attention to the reporters and said, "Now, if you all would pay attention to what I have been trying to say. I have sent a letter to the newspaper and it should be in tomorrow's morning post. Thank you, now I am going to leave to spend my Christmas holidays with my parents and my boyfriend."

With that, she and Harry left the media circus. When the reporters refused to move out of the way, Harry simply pushed them out of the way with his magic until they finally got to the barrier and to the elder Grangers.

Harry quickly said, "Let's get out of here. I wouldn't put it past some to follow us back home. The wards on the house should hide us but let's just be sure."

With that, Harry and the three Grangers made their way to the Grangers' car. When they got on their way, Hermione realized that they weren't headed for her house, when she questioned where they were headed, Dan Granger simply said, "You'll see." Finally they pulled up and parked, they made their way to Diagon Alley and Hermione thought that they were simply doing their Christmas shopping early. However, when the adult Grangers made straight for Magical Menagerie.

Emma explained, "We were going to do it in the summer but with France and Rome, we just sort of forgot. We, your father and I, decided to let you have your own pet."

Hermione was speechless, she had wanted one for a while, but had never asked for one. She felt like she had had a pet for a while because Harry let her use Hedwig whenever she wanted and the beautiful owl stayed with her over the summer months as well. She smiled brightly at her parents and started looking. Almost immediately she spotted a large ginger-colored feline. It was hissing and spitting at the owner as she tried to put it in a cage.

"No Crookshanks! Damn it you bloody cat! Get in there!"

Harry saw her staring at the cat and knew the look she had. It was the same look he had when he first saw Hedwig. He walked over to the owner and talked with her in low voices, Hermione couldn't hear but didn't pay much attention. She continued looking at the different animals but her eyes always wandered back to the feline, Crookshanks. After about five minutes, Harry came back over to her, with the animal in his arms.

He said, "The owner said that you can have him for five Sickles. Seems that no one wants to buy him and the owner was getting ready to set him loose somewhere."

Hermione's smile lit up the room as she took the animal from Harry's arms and started cooing. Harry smiled and scratched the cat behind his ear. Almost at once, the cat started purring and nuzzling Hermione. Afterwards, Harry got a few owl treats for his own familiar and a few treats for Crookshanks. They then left to go home to the Grangers' house for the holidays.

X0X0X0X0X0

The following morning came and the first thing Harry did was read the _Prophet_ to see if they had placed Hermione's letter in it. There, on the front page of the newspaper was Hermione's letter for all of Magical Britain to see.

_To The Daily Prophet_

_A few days ago, I revealed my status as the Head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Ravenclaw as well as the Head of the Noble House of Trisfoum. I am writing now, to inform whomever might feel the need to instruct me of my status, that I do not need such direction. I do not need any help running the families that I am head of, I have excellent advisors in the form of Lord Gryffindor and the goblins of Gringotts. I will accept no marriage contracts and no other gestures of the like. _

_I have been in the Magical World for two and a half years and the head of the families for two of those years. Since becoming aware of my heritage, that of a witch, I have been the subject of ridicule and hate from various, so-called "Upstanding Pureblood citizens" and have found that I will not tolerate an abrupt change in my treatment from those same people, simply to garner favour. I refuse to accept the offers of assistance from a society that treats others the way I was treated, simply because of who my parents are. _

_I have decided that after I leave Hogwarts, I will be leaving Magical Britain for other countries that do not discriminate others simply for who they are or their parentage. While I thank those of you who would offer me advice simply to help me, those that would "help" me, just to gain favour, I neither want, nor need your help and will reject any such offers. I don't wish to live in a society that make those like me, feel as I was made to feel, nor do I wish to raise future children in such a place._

_To those that may feel insulted or feel that I am going against tradition, I apologize, but if the way I was treated is "tradition" than maybe it is time for a new tradition to come about. Especially if the "tradition" is to call someone's parents "Filthy" simply because they do not have magic, or call someone a horrible name, such as "Mudblood", simply because they are the first generation magicals. I point out those two examples as the most common things to happen to me in my two and a half years in Magical Britain. To those that are offended by what I have said, I apologise, I did not mean to offend you specifically, however that is how I feel. I have found, since entering the Magical World, that if I allow what others think of me to affect the way I make my decisions, then I will never be able to be myself and I would have to become a completely different person to get along in your society, which is something I absolutely refuse to do. To those others, that are simply angered by what I have said, you only have yourselves to blame for how your society has shaped me and my views in the short time I have been in it._

_Lady Hermione Jane Granger_

_Lady of House Ravenclaw and Trisfoum_

Harry smiled as he finished reading it. She hadn't let him read what she had written, she wanted it to be a surprise. It was surprising alright, but Harry was immensely proud of how she had defended her position. He smirked as he imagined the various "Upstanding Pureblood Citizens" reading the paper with their morning tea and their reactions to what she said.

The Grangers, after having Harry and Hermione explain how the British Magical society worked, were immensely proud of their daughter. Finally, they put the paper away and Dan and Emma left for work. Harry and Hermione sat around the couch and read for part of the day. The other part was spent in meditation and working on another of their animals; more specifically, their first magical animals. Harry was currently working on a Nemean Lion while Hermione was working on Aethonan. They both found that when using a magical creature's power, they used their own magic to simulate the effects. However, they could not do certain things because of the power requirements. For one, they could not attain the power to kill with their eyes if they took the form of a Basilisk. At most, they would be able to petrify a person for several minutes, but that was all. They could not take the form of a boggart because no one knew a boggart's true form. And they could not take the form of any animal with multiple heads because each head would have a separate personality.

For Harry's Nemean Lion, he would be forced to use his own magic to retain the impenetrable pelt of the lion, however, he only needed to use his own magic if something were to hit him or strike him in that form, the rest of the time, it would be a passive use of it. As for other creatures, like flying horses, they required a minimum amount of power because the animals had specific muscles to move their wings. The magic that would be used would be the magic that decreases the weight to allow the creature to attain flight. Phoenixes were slightly different in that their flame transportation, was slightly like Shadow Walking, as such, it took next to no effort. However, the healing powers of their tears would take much more power to create and they would only be able to produce a finite amount before becoming exhausted and they could not go through a rebirthing cycle. The specific type of Mage Sight that allows a Phoenix to judge a person was the same as they had in their human forms so extra magic wasn't needed for it.

Two days before Christmas was the earliest the Grangers could get off from the surgery. So they chose that day to do their Christmas shopping. They spent most of the day in downtown London with the last minute shoppers. In Diagon Alley they did their shopping for their magical friends. Harry spent much of the time at Gringotts getting a few things engraved with protection runes and enchantments. They didn't spend too much time in the Alley because they got most of their presents out of the country during the summer. They went into their vaults to pick a book to give each of their professors before leaving once again.

X0X0X0X0X0

Christmas day arrived and Harry and Hermione were both up, bright and early. Harry made his annual Christmas Breakfast and Hermione helped him. Together they had the ham and potato omelets with french toast done within half an hour. Once done, Hermione transformed into her shadow cat and went to wake her parents up.

A few minutes later Harry heard a loud curse from Dan, followed by Hermione and Crookshanks running down the stairs and jumping into Harry's arms. Harry realized that Hermione, who was still in her cat form, was shaking until he realized that she was, in fact, laughing.

He looked down at her and asked, "What did you do?"

Hermione looked up and into his eyes and replayed the memory for him. A minute later, Harry was laughing as well. A few minutes later, Dan and Emma walked down the stairs and Harry chuckled, "Enjoy your wake up call?"

Dan grumbled a bit. "I don't enjoy waking up with my daughter, transformed into a cat, staring at me from two inches away."

Emma agreed, "Yes, nor do I enjoy when my daughter's familiar does the same to me."

Hermione transformed and buried her face into Harry's shoulder, shaking with laughter, while Crookshanks purred and rubbed up against his leg. Eventually, everyone calmed down and sat at the table to eat.

Halfway through the meal, Dan asked, "So, what did you two pull this year?"

Harry shrugged, "Nothing big. We figured that since the school was expecting something big, we would do something small to give them a false sense of security. Then get them back when we went back to school."

Hermione pulled out a mirror and enlarged it and they watched the scene play out.

_Hogwarts Castle_

The inhabitants of the castle woke early on Christmas morning. Some, with excitement and some with apprehension. They knew that the infamous "House of Shadows" always set off a huge prank on Christmas morning, that usually lasted the whole day. Much of the staff dreaded breakfast.

It was no one's surprise that Snape was absent. For the last two years, he was always one of the people that were pranked during the holidays. Everyone still in the castle carefully made their way into the Great Hall and to their seats. When nothing happened right away everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Internally, Dumbledore hoped that after what happened before the break, Harry and his friends would let the castle be.

Those hopes were quickly dashed halfway through breakfast. The meal was abruptly halted when a number of figures appeared around the hall. Every figure was slightly different, but all had one theme: they all appeared to be covered in shadows but somehow, they all resembled others within the Hall. They varied from size to size and they all were uncomfortably close to everyone in the Hall.

Before anyone could say anything, the doors to the Great Hall were thrown open and a shadowy figure walked in, with Snape thrown over its shoulder, kicking and hitting, trying to get free. With some shock, a few, who were paying attention, recognized the shadowy figure as a duplicate of the Potions Master himself. From there, they realized that the other shadowy figures were copies of every other person in the Great Hall. Snape was forced into a seat with the rest of the professors and realized that everyone was staring at him.

"Headmaster! I demand you do something about this! I was accosted from my quarters and physically dragged here!" he exclaimed.

Before Albus could say anything, every shadowy figure spoke at once. "It is the holidays. You should spend it with others. They could turn that frown upside down." at this, every muggleborn and halfblood started laughing uproariously.

The figures continue. "The Shadows wish you all Happy Holidays. We want each of you to have someone to spend the holidays with so our friends will be with you for a while. However, the Headmaster is a special case. We met some of your old friends and they wished to see you again."

With that, the shadows took up positions around the Hall. Before Dumbledore could think of who the shadows were talking about, the doors were thrown open again and he groaned when he saw them.

"Hello again Dumbles! We're back and I hope that you have taken better care of your dental hygiene!" the high pitched, scratchy voice of the leader of the lemon drop army said.

Another lemon drop pointed to Snape and exclaimed, "Oi! Haven't you washed your hair at all this year?"

_Granger Residence_

The Grangers and Harry had tears rolling down their faces as they watch the scene from the viewing mirror.

Emma laughed, "I can't believe you brought back the lemon drop army! They terrorized him last year."

Dan nodded. "And what about those shadows? What will they do?"

Hermione smirked mischievously. "They will be shadows to the people they follow..."

"But what does that mean?" asked Emma.

"It means that they will stick to them closer than glue. They will follow each person around and will spend the day uncomfortably close to the person they are copies of." Harry explained.

Once they were settled and the presents were passed out. Harry received various books from his friends from out of country, all were on different branches of magic or works of Science Fiction or Fantasy. He got new clothes: Dragonhide pants and Acromantula silk shirts, from Miku, all of which had auto-resizing charms on them. Mike got him a new gaming system, which the Grangers assured him he could keep at their house during his time at Hogwarts. Jammel gave him an expanded foot locker that connected to his trunk. Jean got him dueling robes. Ms. Cerina sent him a book on Internal Magic and how it helps mind magic.

His friends from Hogwarts gave him a hoard of candy from Honeydukes. However, the twins got him supplies from Zonko's, Ginny got him a book on obscure Defensive magic from Italy and Luna got him a book on Transfiguration from Holland. Hermione got him a book on obscure runes from Prague. Dan and Emma got him clothes and the "John Carter" series to read. They also gave him a small box with a key inside.

When he asked what it was for, they replied, "Well, since you have more or less spent most of your time outside Hogwarts here, we thought that we would make it official. Our door is always open to you and we honestly see you as part of the family. It's a house key."

Harry's eyes teared up as he tried to say something. Finally, he gave up and gave both Granger parents a large hug. Hermione followed suit and then held Harry as he got himself back under control.

Finally he said, "Thank you. I've had plenty of places that I can spend time at but I've only ever had Miku's house that I was always welcomed with open arms. Now I have your house too."

After everyone calmed down, they went back to opening presents. Hermione got a handful of sets of dragonhide pants and silk blouses, of differing colors, made in Milan from Miku. Harry got her a new charm for her bracelet, a Falcon reminiscent of his animagus form, as well as a book on Arithmancy Theory. Her parents got her a new computer, which Harry explained would help her in the future with Arithmancy. Her Slytherin and Hufflepuff friends from Hogwarts sent her a bunch of candy, which her parents at first frowned on, but were relieved when Harry and Hermione explained that it was sugar free. Luna sent her a book on charms from Holland and Ginny got her the new edition of "Hogwarts, A History". She got the same book on internal magic from Ms. Cerina as well.

Right on time, as they were putting the various bits of trash away, a series of owls flew through the window. They recognized all but one of them. Ragnok had sent both Harry and Hermione lifetime pass to the Goblin Nation's Library. Both were gobsmacked at the gift, no one in at least three centuries had been allowed entrance to their library. Along with the passes, the Goblin King sent Harry a note explaining that the Order and goblins, working together, found another soul piece within the vault of Bellatrix LeStrange. It was obtained and removed immediately. The object, the fabled Goblet of Helga Hufflepuff was placed in the Hufflepuff Vault after all was done.

They moved on to the next owl, it turned out that the Flamels had sent both another book on Alchemy, again written by both of them. The third owl, they recognized as the Potter family owl. Harry removed the letter from it and found that Lily had once again given him another certificate to the bookshop in France. Harry smiled slightly and nodded for the owl to leave.

The final owl, they did not recognize at all. They removed the card and parcels from it and it immediately took flight again. Once they opened the card, they realized they were from Carter at MIT.

_Harry and Hermione_

_Merry Christmas! I thought I would be nice and send these along to you. They're fairly new on the market and are really handy to have. Their called OmniDevice. It's a piece of polished crystal with a covering of obsidian encasing it. It has runes carved into it and spells put on it to do almost anything you can think of. If you hold it up in front of a Rune, it will identify it, it can also act like an advanced calculator to help with Arithmancy. It can do other things as well, but I'll let you two figure them out. _

_However, remember that it is still very new and may have problems with it. If you have any issues hold your finger or wand to it and cast the **Reparo** charm on it. That will reset it and it should work again, if not, send it to me and I'll try and fix it._

_Have a great Christmas and I'll see you when you're in the States next time._

_Carter _

_Deputy Researcher, MIT_

Harry and Hermione removed a small rectangular device from the packaging and examined them. They both agreed that they sound very useful and were excited to try them out back at Hogwarts. They finished cleaning up in preparation of Hermione's mundane family coming over for Christmas Dinner. Harry made sure to explain it to Hedwig that she had to spend the day in the back yard so they wouldn't see her.

Back in his room, he and Hermione got their gifts to their professors ready to send with Gwen. They decided to give McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick their annual gift of an obscure book for their field, as well as get their other professors something as well. They got Sprout a book on plants from the Australian Outback, McGonagall and Flitwick books on Transfiguration and Charms, written by Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. They got Professor Sinistra a muggle high powered telescope, charmed to work around magic that let her see farther out into space than she thought possible. Harry got Professor Babbling a book on Runes from South America, while Hermione got Professor Vector a book on Arithmancy written by Ravenclaw. They got Hagrid a book on Dragons and a small scale model of a Norwegian Ridgeback. They both decided to play nice and got their Defense professor, Lupin, a book on practical defense from their Shadow Walker Vault.

They both decided that it would be a waste to get anything for Binns and they would sooner bow down to Dumbledore and the Blood Supremacists than get a gift for Snape. Harry also got out their gifts for Lily for Gwen to deliver. Hermione got her a book on charming mundane objects to work around magic from America. Harry got her a book on the basics of internal magic and learning to use mage sight. He wasn't worried about her learning any of his secrets and sharing them, he hit her with a secrecy ward earlier in the school year. It would act as a modified Fidelius charm and not allow her to give away any of his or Hermione's secrets without their permission. They weren't planning on letting her in on their secrets but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Once Gwen had come back from delivering the gifts to Hogwarts, Harry sent her to Potter Manor.

_Potter Manor_

Lily was in her office, putting a new family picture away when a burst of flames startled her. She realized it was Gwen and put up a locking and silencing charm on the office. She saw that there were a few gifts and was surprised. The first were two gifts; one from each of them (a note was attached, saying that they had given all of their teachers a gift.). She realized that one of the books was for Remus and left it with Gwen so she could take it to him later. She noticed a note from Harry attached to the book he'd given her.

_This is a book that should help you learn basic mage sight. Like I said, learn it and you may find something interesting about the people around you. Contrary to what Dumbles tells everyone, mage sight is relatively simple to learn. But I should warn you, until you are a master at it, your eyes will glow when you use it, alerting those around you to the ability. My advice would be to wear sunglasses when you use it or a glamour charm._

_Harry Daniels_

She glanced at the book and was intrigued. She noticed a small box and opened it to find a beautiful necklace with a pendant hanging from it. The pendant was a simple wand and sword crossing each other. Another note explained the gift.

_This is for Rose. Once it is on, it will stay on and resize as she gets older and will not break. Put it on her as soon as you get the chance. I had it engraved by the Goblins and pumped a massive amount of magic into it. It will protect her from everything including of the Unforgivables. If they are used against her, the runes on the pendant will act as a power converter. The spells will charge up the other protections on the pendant. It was made specifically for Rose and her magical signature. If it is put on anyone else, it will shock them until they take it off. _

_Tell her Happy Christmas from her much better looking brother._

_Harry Daniels._

She laughed and smiled brightly at the gift. She left her office and went back to the family room, where James was with Rose, Sirius, Emmeline and Remus. She immediately went for her daughter.

"What is that Lils?" he asked, pointing to the necklace.

She smiled, "It's a gift from Harry for Rose. He and Hermione sent all their professors gifts and sent this along with mine and Remus'."

As if called, Gwen flashed in next to Rose who clapped and giggled at the bird. She flew to Remus and he took the book from her and she left.

James asked, "Why did he get her something?"

Lily slapped him upside his head. "Because she is his sister and he doesn't blame her for why he left. Here." she handed him the note as she fastened the necklace around Rose.

As soon as the clasp closed, the necklace glowed bright white and returned to normal.

"Bloody Hell!" James exclaimed.

"What is it Prongs?" asked Sirius.

"He said he had that thing engraved by the Goblins and you know how much they charge for something like that. Plus, I've never heard of the rune he used to protect against the Unforgivables."

Sirius' eyes widened and he whistled at what it would cost. "Merlin! How much does he have at that bank!"

As all that was going on, upstairs in Chris Potter's room, he was gazing at a brand new gift lying on his bed. He quickly unwrapped it and gasped at what he got. A brand new Firebolt! He had gotten a new Nimbus 2001 from his parents earlier but a Firebolt was way better. He quickly realized that he needed to hide it so his parents wouldn't take it. He knew his mum would claim that the broom was too much for him. He quickly shrunk the racing broom and stashed it in his trunk.

When he was done, he smirked when he thought of the look on Daniels' face when he flew out onto the Quidditch field during Gryffindor's next match. The smirk turned into a snarl when his slippers quickly grew wheels and he was sent sprawling to the ground. _Oh yes, Daniels will learn his place! Him and that stupid bint Granger!_

**A/N: It's been a very long time since I've updated and for that I apologize. Real life decided that it wanted to surprise me with a swift kick to the head. Lots of family issues going on along with traveling. I've been writing quite a bit during all of it but have yet to do a final edit through. I've also been trying to go through and edit everything I've posted and try to get rid of all the errors that I come across. Most likely, I will be much faster with the fourth book, since I have many other ideas for it than I have for this book. It will also help that, as far as I know, I'm done traveling for the summer so I should be much better with my updates.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only play in the universe. Any ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 6

Harry and Hermione stepped out of the shadows and into the meeting room. They were the last to arrive and they took their seats. Looking around the room, Hermione saw many faces that she didn't know but Harry knew them all. He pointed them out to her with Telepathy. _He's the Shadow of Japan, Shadow of the U.S., Shadow of Italy, Shadow of India and Shadow of China. Then there is Jack, Jammel, Miku, Mike, Shauna and that is Eric Longfeather._

As he pointed out each person, he sent her a list of what they did for the Order and what their skills were in. After a few more moments, Japan called the meeting to order.

"We are here to discuss the progress we have made in collecting the abominations that Tom Riddle made in his bid for immortality."

Harry muttered "Stupid ponce!" Hermione smirked but said nothing as the meeting continued.

"So far, we have obtained the Diary, that Harry and Hermione collected from Hogwarts last year, Helga Hufflepuff's goblet, with the help of the Goblins of Gringotts, and finally, the ring from the Gaunt Shack located in Little Hangleton. We have also destroyed the piece that was in Harry's scar seven years ago."

Japan paused to let everyone absorb what he said, then, "Now, the one in Harry's scar is the only one that we have destroyed. We have transferred the other pieces into the Diary, thus giving us a bigger piece of soul to use to find the others pieces."

India spoke up, "After thinking about it and discussing the matter with a few others, we have decided that the one in your scar was a mistake. Even doing the barest minimum research on the creation of these... things, one would know that to put a piece of yourself in another living being that you cannot control, would be folly. When we removed it from you, already it was slowly weakening due to your own magic, fighting against it. Therefore, we have determined that the piece that was found within your scar was simply a piece that broke off the main portion of soul, due to its instability."

Harry nodded, "I guessed as much. What have you discovered about the size of each soul piece?"

Eric Longfeather replied, "We have determined that he split his soul evenly each time he created a new horcrux."

Harry nodded, and Longfeather continued, "And from the pieces that we have, we can determine that he created six willingly and one accidental. We can be sure that he will make another as soon as he can to ensure that he has his set of seven. That means that he has at least 1/256th of a soul. At most, 1/128th of a soul."

Hermione and the others who hadn't thought about the numbers gasped.

"Holy Crap! How was this guy functioning?!" Jammel exclaimed.

Harry shrugged, "I wouldn't be surprised if he started attacking his own allies. Even splitting your soul in half once would cause insanity. Those few who created horcruxes before, only cut off a small portion of their souls because they feared losing their minds. Removing that much of one's soul effectively removes a person's humanity. I should also mention, that without their humanity, a person would be incapable of showing remorse which is the only way to mend a torn soul. Everything that I have studied about soul magic, says that you cannot split your soul any more times than what he has done or is going to do. After he hits that point where he only has 1/256th of a soul, he won't be able to split it again. To do so, would cause his soul to obliterate itself, taking the missing shards with it."

He sat there, letting everyone soak in what he said and the meaning behind it.

Mike clarified, "So, what you're saying is; he is beyond redemption, he has next to no humanity in him and he is beyond insane. And after he splits his soul one more time, if he hasn't already, he will kill himself if he tries it again?"

Harry shook his head, "You don't understand, if his soul obliterates itself, it will cease to be. There is a difference between being dead and ceasing to exist."

The others thought about it and nodded, some shaking their heads at Riddle's stupidity.

Harry continued, "I would even go so far as to say that he is at the beginning stages of becoming a Liche. Once he gets a body again, he will have all his original power, which was and is considerable, and he has placed most of his soul within items to keep himself from dying. Not to mention that tattoo that all of his followers have. From what I've studied about it, the tattoo links them all for him and he can draw energy from them as well. He will be somewhat in control of his actions but he won't be nearly as sane or coherent as he was before he started splitting his souls."

The others around the room, shuddered in revulsion. They continued talking for a little while before wrapping the meeting up.

Longfeather said, "We have determined that the last two horcruxes within Great Britain are located somewhere in downtown London and on the land that Hogwarts sits on. If he does, indeed, make another one, we will know because we have the majority of his soul within the diary and we can use it to locate it."

Harry's and Hermione's eyes widened.

They looked at each other, before Hermione said, "It would make sense. From what we've found out about him, he thought of Hogwarts as a 'Home-Away-From-Home'. It would stand to reason that he would hide a piece of himself somewhere where he felt most at home."

Harry nodded his agreement. "We'll look into it and try and find the piece."

Longfeather nodded and India said, "Remember, so far he has used items that have significance. The ring was the Head of House Ring for the remaining family of Slytherin and he used Hufflepuff's cup for another. So far, the only horcrux that wasn't a founder's item was the diary. But even that was special. It detailed his new life in the magical world. It held special significance for him."

Harry nodded, "Right, so it is most likely something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's. The only famous item of Gryffindor's was his sword and it was lost for ages before I pulled it out of the Sorting Hat last year. I didn't sense anything in it when I held it in my hands so it's safe."

Hermione continued, "As for Ravenclaw, her Diadem is the only thing that I can think of, but again, that has been lost for centuries and I'll have to find her true journal to learn anything more.. What have you figured out about the one in downtown London?"

Japan sighed, "Nothing. We have the location narrowed down to a street called Grimmauld Place. There are some very powerful wards protecting wherever it is being kept. If we could figure out exactly where it is, we could simply shadow walk."

Just as Harry was about to speak, a Eagle Owl flew through the window and landed on the table. Miku took the letter and read through it. She then passed it to China.

"Well, according to Gringotts, the only recorded wizard's home on that particular street belonged to the Black family. Which would explain the impressive wards we've detected."

Harry groaned. "Well I guess we can let it sit there until we have a better chance at getting it. As of right now, we can't do much without arousing the suspicion of the old man and the last thing we want, is him knowing about the Horcruxes. So until I'm either on better terms with Lord Black, the horcrux moves or we have no choice, we leave that one be. Agreed?"

The others nodded their agreement. From there, the meeting ended and Harry and Hermione left for the Grangers' house again, to spend their last day with her parents.

X0X0X0X0X0

Harry and Hermione met with Luna when they got to the platform, the day they were to return to Hogwarts. Luna was just as smitten with Crookshanks as Hermione was and cooed and petted the cat whenever Hermione's attention wavered. Together, they got a compartment and sat down to wait for the rest of their friends. They were expecting them all since they hadn't sent their Christmas presents with Gwen. While they were waiting, Harry thought back to Christmas Dinner with Hermione's family.

_Flashback_

Harry was helping Emma in the kitchen with Christmas dinner while Hermione and Dan were going through the house, making sure that they hadn't left any magical gifts laying around. Harry was making the salad and smoked Salmon while Emma was making the roast turkey and other finger foods. Eventually, Hermione came into the kitchen and helped with the little things, she knew she wasn't as good in the kitchen as her boyfriend or mother, but didn't mind.

Finally, around midday, the doorbell rang and in walked Hermione's grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. She had one aunt and uncle on her father's side, Edward and his wife Mary, who was her father's sister and they had two children; a seven year old boy, Max and a ten year old daughter, Susan. Her grandparents', on her father's side, were Jacqueline and John.

On her mother's side, she had two aunts and one uncle. Marcus Jr. was the oldest, married to Monica and had David, five and Amber, twelve. Next was Francine, who was married to Paul and they had Francesca, fourteen and Matthew, fifteen. The youngest was Marlene, who was married to Frank. They had a six year old, Taylor. Her grandparents on her mother's side were Marcus Sr. and Elizabeth. Once they were all settled down, Hermione took her little cousins up to the second guest bedroom, Harry assured her that they could play his new game system, while he continued finishing up the salmon and mustard sauce.

Hermione had warned him beforehand that her cousin, Francesca always tried to one-up her. So he was well prepared when she sauntered into the kitchen while Emma was visiting with her parents.

"So, Harry," she purred, "You go to school with Hermione?"

Harry simply nodded, and sent out a mental shout to Hermione, letting her know what was going on.

"So how did you meet?" she asked, while flicking her dark brown hair over her shoulder.

Harry shrugged, "We met at King's Cross, when we left on the train for school out first year."

Francesca nodded, then made to get in front of him, "So are you friends with anyone else? We don't really know much about that mysterious school of hers."

"Yeah, we have a group of friends. There, Blaise, Daphne, Tracy, Luna, Ginny, Fred, George, Susan and Hannah." he said, listing off their friends.

Before Francesca could reply, Hermione came walking in and smiled brightly at Harry.

"Hey Harry, how're things coming in here?"

Harry smiled back and said, "Fine. Just getting to know your cousin a bit while finishing up the salmon. How are they liking the Super Nintendo?"

Hermione laughed, "Oh, they loving it. Matt is even playing it. He has one at home and said that he doesn't have some of the games that you do. He and the others are all playing the different games with each other."

Harry smirked and nodded. During their short conversation, Francesca walked out in a huff.

Eventually, after a few more run-ins with Francesca, it was time for dinner. They all loved Harry's cooking, just like Hermione and her parents. They all made him feel welcome and more than once, he was pulled aside by various members of the family, thanking him for helping Hermione develop a social life. A common theme among her male relatives was the "hurt her and I will hunt you down like a dog" part of their monologues.

_End Flashback_

He was brought out of his musings when the door to their compartment slid open, admitting their three Slytherin and two Hufflepuff friends. Both Ravenclaw third years knew not to expect their Gryffindor friends until two minutes before the train left.

They spent a few minutes catching up with one another and talking about their break. The girls cooed at Crookshanks, though didn't seem to see the beauty in the animal as much as Hermione and Luna did, they still liked him. They smiled at Harry when they found out what he did in the pet store.

Daphne said, "Tracy's family and my family went to Italy together. We spent a lot of time touring around the city. Mostly we kept to ourselves though."

Hermione asked, "What city did you guys stay in?"

Tracy smiled dreamily, "Venice."

Daphne smirked, "Tracy has always wanted to go to Venice. She was ecstatic when she found out we were going."

Hermione smiled, "Harry took my family to Rome over the summer. We stayed for two weeks before heading to his friend's villa in France. We went all over the city during our stay."

Harry nodded, "I've only been to Venice twice. It's a great city, very beautiful. But it has nothing on the Merpeople City a little further out to sea."

Tracy and Daphne were gobsmacked. After about thirty seconds, Blaise said, "You better close your mouths ladies."

Their mouths closed with an audible _snap_. Harry snickered until Tracy exploded.

"You have to tell me about it!" she exclaimed.

Harry smirked, "After everyone else has shared their holiday adventures."

They all turned to Blaise, who just shrugged. "Not much to report. I mean, we had Christmas dinner and the annual party where I had to put up with pureblood snobs."

Hermione asked curiously, "I thought that your family doesn't put up with that crap."

Blaise smirked, "Oh, they don't. But mother has always loved a good party and the fact that she and father get to rub it in the noses of '_proper British purebloods_' that foreigners, who happen to have more than a few halfbloods and muggleborns in the family, are just as wealthy as some and more so than others is just a big bonus in their eyes."

By the end, Harry and Hermione were laughing with the rest in their compartment. After they had calmed themselves down, Luna told them about her family's trip to Finland. Apparently, they had found a nest of Nargles in nearly every public building they went into.(I couldn't help it. I love Luna and all her made up creatures. I had to make one of them real) Luna explained that they were tiny creatures and were cousins to fairies.

"They feed off positive emotions and the flares that people's auras give off whenever they are extremely happy or in love. That's why they make their homes in Mistletoe."

Hermione asked, "But why has no one found them before?"

Harry answered for Luna, "Because you can only see them with the advanced form of Mage Sight that Luna has. Not many people have it because to get it, you have to constantly use normal Mage Sight to advance it to that degree."

Hermione nodded her understanding. "Oh. Okay, kind of like what we are doing?"

Harry nodded, then seeing the curious looks from their other friends, he explained. "Hermione and I can use Mage Sight. It's actually not all that hard to learn. You just focus your magic on your eyes and it lets you see the magic around you. Anyway, back on subject. We've been able to use it for a while now and we are slowly learning how to use it constantly. To us, our vision is overlayed with faint auras that you see when you use Mage Sight. Next we plan on learning to use the other Mage Senses. We can already feel magic but that comes with being around it all the time. I know for a fact that 'Listening' to magic can be beautiful with some magic and worse than nails on a chalkboard of others."

Seeing the strange looks on the others' faces, he explained, "Using magic with ill intent or truly evil spells, not only looks and feels disgusting, but it also smells and even taste bad. Hearing it is like hearing a symphony of dying animals."

The others shuddered a bit and nodded their understanding. After a while, the three Ravenclaws each took out a book and started reading; Luna, a book on Magical Creatures, Hermione, a book on Arithmancy and Harry, a book on Enchantment.

With only a few minutes to spare, the eight students in the compartment noticed a sea of red heads storm the platform. A few minutes later, the train started for Hogwarts, and the door to their compartment opened. The friends welcomed their Gryffindor friends and made room for them. Almost immediately, Harry sealed the compartment with secrecy wards.

When the others looked at him funny, he smirked, "Now, I know you all didn't think Hermione and I forgot about your presents did you?"

The others smirked and nodded slightly.

Hermione huffed. "Oh honestly! We did get you guys something, but decided that it would be better to give it to you in person. But first, the protection that we promised you. These aren't presents. They are to help protect you from scheming old men and sniveling bastards." They all laughed at her references to Dumbles and Snape as Harry and Hermione handed them all their Rune inscribed protective watches.

With that, both she and Harry then pulled out their real presents; several copies of the same book from their trunks and passed them around.

Susan saw the title and gasped. The others glanced at her, then read what they had been given. _Discussions With Your Inner Animal: A Guide to becoming an Animagus_

The twins simply said, "Wicked!"

Harry and Hermione had, over the break, discussed whether they should help their friends with more of their abilities. After hours of talking, they had agreed that it would be a good idea, but that they would have to seek help from someone more experienced than they were, McGonagall. They had also decided to downplay their own animagus ability. They would simply pace themselves with their friends and in the end, register their bird forms, with slight changes. Harry would cast an illusion over himself and give his bird form a few feathers, tinted a dark green, interspersed in the black feathers. Hermione would do the same and give her form a few bronze tinted feathers. They figured that if they ever needed to use the ability and people were around, it was better than having to pay the fine and risk time in prison. They would also register their forms with the U.S. because the British Ministry never checked with foreign governments

Both Ravenclaws were brought back to the present with their friends talking in excitement.

Harry said, "Now, I will tell you now, the meditation you do for Occlumency is the same you need to do for this. I have already started and Hermione has too. The way the theory was taught to me, it won't be that hard to learn. We should be able to finish it by the end of this term or the beginning of summer, simply because most people can't properly meditate to find their inner animal. Since we all know how to meditate, that will be easy. We should be able to start the transformation in about month or so and be done after a few months of repeated transformations."

"What about the other way someone can become an animagus? The way dealing with a potion?" Hannah asked.

Hermione answered, "There are different ways to do it. There is a potion that will reveal your animal to you, but the prep work isn't really worth it. You have to become more in tune with nature and requires many more hours of meditation in secluded areas before you can even take the potion. It also takes a month to brew the potion. There aren't any advantages to doing it that way or our way. The other way that we know is by making a different potion that forces the transformation. Once that is done, the person uses Self-Transfiguration. It is also much more dangerous. You also don't get the benefits nearly as fast as the other ways. That way is simply cutting corners and trying to get results the fastest possible way."

Harry nodded, "Yeah. The way we plan on achieving our forms is more like 'slipping' into our forms, fluidly. That way is a bit more like stuffing yourself into a pair of pants that don't quite fit. It is, in a word, 'uglier' at least in my opinion. The way we are going to do it, we are speaking to our cores and will 'slide' into our forms, it will be hard at first because we are going to embrace the more animalistic side, but we are going to have to try and change our mannerisms to reflect the change."

He paused, then said,"The best part is, and don't spread this around, we will still be able to use magic in the forms. Not to mention that we may learn something new about ourselves by conversing with our magic."

Tracy asked, "But how? I've never heard of an animagus that could use magic in their animal form."

Hermione smiled brightly, "That's because they couldn't do wandless magic and therefore, required a wand."

The others nodded their understanding and most got started, reading. They twins, however, got up to go find Lee Jordan. As they stepped out, Harry nodded to Hermione and followed them.

"Hey guys, hold up a second."

The twins looked at each other and smiled at Harry.

They said, in stereo, "What can we do for you Harrykins?"

Harry smirked at the name, "You know, you keep calling me that, and I'll get even with you." the twins laughed and nodded, "Anyway. Hermione and I thought that we would also give you a gift, as fellow pranksters."

With that, he pulled out a piece of blank parchment.

"What's this?" they asked.

Harry smirked, "That is a very useful tool that we use to keep track of the staff at Hogwarts. Put your wands on it, or your fingers, it doesn't really matter, just focus your magic on it so it can identify your magical signatures. From there, you need to set a password to show it, then wipe it. When it is wiped, it will appear as a normal homework assignment. Don't let anyone know you have it and don't tell anyone the password you set up, not even me. This way, it is completely your own."

The twins nodded, not completely understanding but thanked him and went on their way. Harry went back into the compartment and sat between Luna and Hermione.

_Chris Potter's Compartment_

Chris was sitting across from Neville and Ron, thinking about his "special" Christmas present. He smirked a bit, but still had not told anyone about it, not even his father or uncle Sirius. He knew he couldn't tell his mother or uncle Remus, they worried about him too much and coddled him. Not to mention, his mother seemed to be more interested in Daniels.

_Daniels!_ he sneered to himself. Just the name left a sour taste in his mouth. What was so special about him? _I'm the Boy-Who-Lived! People have always liked me. Now HE comes around and suddenly, I'm second best. He and Granger don't even try in class and they still beat me! Even mum has started comparing me to him. I just don't get it! So what if he went all over and learned different things? I beat You-Know-Who! I've always been good at Transfiguration, but ever since those two showed up, I'm third best in the class. So what if I'm the best in Gryffindor! He is still beating me. When You-Know-Who comes back he'll come crying, asking me to beat him again. Professor Dumbledore said it was only a matter of time before You-Know-Who comes back and I've been prophesied to beat him again. I've been getting training from Professor Dumbledore, dad, Padfoot and Moony since I could properly use a wand._

He was brought out of his thoughts when Ron asked, "So what do you think Chris? How bad are you going to beat Ravenclaw?"

Chris smirked viciously, "We'll beat them so bad that they won't live down the embarrassment for years!"

Neville had stayed silent the whole time, not interested in the game all that much. Sure he liked the game as much as the next wizard, but he just couldn't find it as interesting as his two friends or his pseudo uncles.

Ron said, "I can't wait to see Daniels' face when you kick their arses."

Chris laughed, agreeing while Neville quietly sighed. He couldn't understand why his two friends continued to antagonise the two Ravenclaws. They had helped the three of them plenty of times and never really caused problems for them. They only ever reacted and retaliated when Chris or Ron caused them problems. He sighed again and decided not to bring it up, it would just cause Ron and Chris to get irritated with him.

X0X0X0X0X0

The Welcome-Back Feast was in full swing and Harry and the rest of his friends were all sitting with Hannah and Susan at the Hufflepuff table. They chose the table because the Hufflepuffs didn't care and didn't have as many issues with the other houses as the other tables did. Ravenclaw didn't like Harry, Hermione and Luna simply because they continued to show them up in class and few of their fellow Ravenclaws had ever really gotten along with the three outsiders. Slytherin was out because Ginny was sitting with them and the twins visited them and Gryffindor was out because of Daphne, Tracy and Blaise.

They sat, talking with each other and about their new side project, discussing what types of animal forms they might get. Occasionally, another Puff would talk with Harry or Hermione about some help with a particular spell. At different times throughout the feast, Harry would notice Lily Potter looking at his group of friends curiously. He could tell that she had a glamour on her eyes, by the distortion field in front of them he saw with mage sight. He could tell that she knew something was off with their auras. He decided to let her figure it out on her own, if she came to him with questions, he would maybe give her a hint, if he was in a good mood. He informed Hermione via telepathy and she glanced at the staff table but did nothing else to acknowledge their watcher.

The following days allowed the group to settle back into routine. After receiving confirmations from all his friends' parents, they were all listed under the protection of House Gryffindor, Daniels and Ravenclaw. Their three Slytherins were officially safe from retribution from Snape and for that, they were very grateful. During their spare time, they would get together in Harry and Hermione's classroom and meditate on their animal. Meanwhile, Harry decided that, since he was progressing very well in his goal of writing and casting through Runes, he would take up a new project; he eventually chose to try his hand at actively engraving runes on objects and charging them. It was the first step towards creating fully functioning Wards. Which could also branch off into creating permanent Enchantments. Something he decided to try his hand at later. Hermione decided that it would be a good thing to learn as well, so she also started learning the art of Warding. Though, she leaned more towards learning to Enchant items because it would allow her to blend mundane technology with magical effects.

He and Hermione would also spend any and all of their free time, searching for a reason behind the large empty space on the seventh floor. They used every method they could think of to figure the mystery, from Mage Sight, to spells designed to find hidden locations, until they finally just decided to feel around on the main wall for a hidden means of opening the wall up. They were sure there was something hidden behind it because it was blindingly bright when viewed with Mage Sight. After spending days snooping around, they finally determined that a part of the wall, across from a portrait with dancing trolls, had to be the entrance. When looked at, using Mage Sight, it was brighter than anywhere else in the small corridor.

"How do we get in? I mean, there is no door and nothing that tells us anything!" Hermione said, fed up with walking aimlessly around.

She started pacing back and forth, trying to come up with ideas to get the castle to give them some kind of answer or clue. She stopped when Harry sharply inhaled. When she saw him looking past her, she turned and was confronted with a mysterious door that hadn't been there before. They glance at each other and cautiously open the door.

Inside, they are met with the sight of a huge study that looked as if it existed during medieval times. The walls were painted blue and there was a Floor-to-Ceiling window with a criss-cross paneling design, a desk sitting next to it. There were at least five large bookshelves that were completely filled with scrolls and tomes. Both Ravenclaws forgot to breath when they first saw it. They could almost feel the magic and knowledge in the air of the room. They slowly made their way into the shrine of knowledge, that the study seemed to be, and curiously glanced at the different books.

"I wonder what this place is. I mean, we know that it is what we've been looking for, but that doesn't answer what it is." Hermione said.

"I believe I can help you with that answer." a voice said, causing them to spin around, search for the source.

They looked around for a moment, not seeing anyone but then realized there was a portrait of a beautiful woman on the wall next to the large desk. She was wearing a set of Royal Blue and had her dark brown hair in curls, cascading down her back and shoulders. What gave her identity away, however, was the diadem sitting on her head. It was Rowena Ravenclaw!

They both bow and say, "It is an honour to meet you Lady Ravenclaw."

She surprised them by saying, "Oh, hush, no need to bow or anything. I have been watching you for a long time now. I could not speak to you before now because you need to find our studies before we are aloud. When alive, we put that safety measure in to ensure that our heirs would be forced to find our private quarters on their own and not have help from us or any other help from inside the castle."

She chuckled slightly at their shocked looks.

Finally, Hermione broke out of her stupor, "So you're saying that this is your private quarters and that until now, no one could have found this place?"

Rowena paused, then slowly answered, "Not exactly. This place," she waved her hand around to indicate the room, "is what the House elves call, the 'Come and Go Room'. It has been called the 'Room of Requirement' and a whole host of other names throughout the years. Many people who find it once, never find it again because they do not realize what it is that this room is and does."

Harry, catching onto what she was saying, asked, "So, what you're saying is, this room turns into anything we want? When we were outside, we were wanting to know what the place behind the wall was and it's true purpose and that's what this is? Your office?."

Ravenclaw smiled and nodded. "Yes. This room can become anything a person needs. However, there are rules. Anything created within the room cannot be taken out of the room."

Hermione interrupted the founder, "What if we create a duplicate with our own magic?"

Rowena smiled and said, "Yes, that is a way around it, however, if it is something enchanted, it would need to much magic for you to create by yourselves. However, I created a way around that too, the room can 'help' a person duplicating something it created. It is somewhat sentient. Not exactly Hogwarts, but linked to her. It can channel a portion of the magic within the Lay Lines into a spell."

"Isn't that dangerous? I mean to have direct magic flowing through you and have no control?" Hermione asked.

Rowena nodded, "It is very dangerous, however there are safeguards in place to keep everything safe."

Harry immediately thought of something. "Wait! So if someone needed a place to hide something, they could get the room to take on the form of a hiding place?"

Hermione's eyes widened when she realized what he was talking about.

Rowena nodded, not understanding what they were getting at. "Yes, that is the most common use for the room. People call it the 'Room of Lost Things'. Why do you ask?"

Hermione said, "Because, there are certain... items that we have been looking for to ensure that when something happens, it can be dealt with, as quickly as possible."

Rowena raised an eyebrow, "What are these items and why are you the ones that must ensure whatever needs to happen, happens?"

Harry sighed, "It's not something that we can just tell anyone. If certain people got wind of what we were doing, they would make it much harder to accomplish our goals. Particularly the Headmaster and his group of followers."

The Ravenclaw founder scowled at the mention of Dumbledore. "Don't get me started on that man! He is one of the worst headmasters that this school has ever had. He lets people get away with anything and has caused the decline in so many areas of knowledge of magic. And his infuriating excuse of 'It's for the Greater Good' is simply a way to sooth his much forgotten conscience."

Both Hermione and Harry smirked at her opinion of the old man.

Rowena continued ranting, "We all heard about what he did to you and your friends. If we could, I and the other founders would have thrown him out of this castle faster than a person can apparate! Godric wanted to let the Giant squid play with him for a bit before flinging him deep into the forest and letting him find his way out, without his wands."

Harry asked, "What do you mean, 'wands'?"

Rowena answered, "What? You didn't know he has two? He has his original and then the one that he uses everyday. That one, he won off of that dark lord a few years ago, Grindelwald. He seems to think that he can't be beat with it. I think he is just going senile. Sal was very impressed with what you did to him, forcing him to quit all of his positions besides Headmaster of the school. He told me that he couldn't have done a better job."

Harry smirked. "It's like I told Daphne, Blaise and Tracy, it's easy to act Slytherin if I know what people are going to do."

Rowena smiled, "Ah yes, those three. Sal's favorites. Helga has the Abbot and Bones girls as well as that Diggory fellow. Godric has the two oldest Weasley, the twins, they always make him laugh and their sister. He likes that they are brave enough to go against the rest of his house and befriend the three Slytherins."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Wow, you sure do know a lot about the happenings here. Who, might I ask, are your favorites?"

Rowena smirked, "Of course we do, it's our school. As for my favorites, you should know. You two and your friend, Luna, Helena has told me a lot about you three. We also know a bit about your 'extracurricular' activities."

Harry paled and slowly got out his wand."

Rowena saw what he was doing and chuckled. "Do not worry child, our lips are sealed. You two are our heirs, Hogwarts can feel that and we, through her. We will not say anything without your leave. But could you tell be a bit about what you are trying to do?"

Harry was silent for a few minutes, weighing the pros and cons. Finally he decided to tell her a little.

"Well, right now, we are trying to find something hidden within the school. A piece of the blackest magic possible. Tom Riddle hid it within the school years ago. We are apart of a group that helps all magicals, no matter the species. We work behind the scenes all around the world; trying to get equality for all magicals. That way, if and when the magical world is revealed to the normal world, we won't seem so menacing or threatening. As it is, if the magical world were revealed today, magical Britain would quickly learn that mundanes are far from what they think they are."

Lifting an eyebrow, Rowena asked, "What do you mean? I know from what I've heard from the students with family in the normal world that they are more advanced than most witches and wizards give them credit for, but how advanced are they?"

"In the last big war the world had, it was ended after the United States dropped two bombs on an enemy country. A bomb is a device that mundanes use, it causes a large explosion, decimating a large area. Think of it as a blasting curse, only much bigger in scale. A small bomb could easily take out a building the size of the castle. The two they dropped on Japan were the biggest of the time. They easily took out entire cities. Even more people died because of radiation exposure after the bombs were dropped." answered Hermione.

"But what about our wards? What about charms such as the Fidelius charm?" argued Rowena.

Harry shook his head. "They do not need to know exactly where we are, only a rough estimation. Besides, they could more than likely launch a satellite into space and look for electronic disturbances that magic causes." seeing that she was going to ask, he answered the founder's question, "A satellite is a piece of technology that mundanes can launch into space to view the moon, other planets or look at Earth from space."

Rowena looked amazed but then shook her head, "Well, I agree. Magical Britain should clean up it's act. The purebloods should get over their own self importance."

Harry and Hermione smirked and nodded their head, agreeing with her completely. They stayed for a few hours longer, talking about the room and how it was made. Harry was amazed at the books that the Ravenclaw Founder had used and the different Rune permutations that were found in them. Surprisingly, Hermione eventually had to drag him away. He finally relented when Rowena reminded him that the room could help him make copies of all of her books for him to read at his leisure. They also found out that the private quarters of the remaining two founders, were in room somewhat like her own, only more precise. The other quarters could only change but only into other rooms, relating to their areas of study.

After Harry and Hermione both thanked her for all her help, Hermione grabbed her true diary and they left, realizing that they had been gone for the whole day. They quickly made their way down to the Great Hall, for dinner and to their group of friends, who were sure to question where they were the whole day, they were simply lucky that it was the weekend and they didn't miss any classes.

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me this long, I've been having a rough time with this book. Classes start on Monday for me so it will be slower going for me, but also I seem to work better during school, it gives me something to do in between classes where I'm bored out of my skull. Hopefully I will be done with this Book soon and start on Year 4, which I have many ideas for and where I plan on changing quite a bit. Thanks and keep reviewing!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only play in the universe. Any ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 7

Please Daniels! We're begging you! We know that it would only be this one time but if you don't, we'll have to forfeit! We just barely beat Slytherin during the last match. If we beat Gryffindor with a high enough lead, there will be no way for Gryffindor to catch up and we will win the cup!" Roger Davies said, begging Harry to play seeker since Cho was injured a few hours previous, during their last practice, a day before the game.

Apparently a bludger had smashed into her thigh, crushing her Femur and caused her to fall from her broom. She would be fine, but not before the game. Davies had the whole Quidditch team with him when he cornered Harry and Hermione walking down a corridor, talking about their plans for the coming summer.

Harry sighed, "But I don't like Quidditch, I just like flying!"

Hermione held up a hand as many on the team started to voice their disappointment. "Wait Harry. They promised it would only be this one game, after that, they won't bug you anymore. Right?" she turned to the team, who nodded their agreement. "There, see. You only have to play this one game and then you're done."

Harry simply turned to her and said, "Et tu Mione?"

Hermione smirked and rolled her eyes, "Oh, quit being so dramatic Harry. Think of it this way, think of the look on Snape's face when he realizes that you are the reason his house lost the Quidditch cup. We've already taken the House Cup from him."

Harry smirked slightly, but then wiped it off his face and sighed. "Fine. But just this once. After that, Chang is back to being your Seeker and you won't bug me anymore! Right?" he asked.

Davies and the rest of the team smiled widely and nodded their heads emphatically. "Perfectly clear Daniels. We'll have a practice tonight and tomorrow to get you ready for the match."

Harry sighed and nodded, before walking away, sulking

Later that night, Harry met with the rest of the team and they stared at his midnight black broom.

"What kind of broom is that?" one of the chasers asked.

Harry answered, "It's a Slipstream 2500. A friend sent it to me. I'd rather not use my broom because of what happened to Potter's broom. It was a gift from an old friend and I'd rather it not get destroyed. The friend that let me borrow his broom, his names Mike, doesn't have much time to fly nowadays so he let me borrow it for this game. He has a back up broom if something happens to this one and he knows that I would pay him back for it." a few of the team looked like they wanted to ask more questions, but refrained.

The next two days went by very quickly with Harry practicing until a half hour before curfew and the following day for nearly another four hours.

Finally the time for the game arrived and many people were surprised that Ravenclaw had suited up at all. Many had heard what had happened to Cho and thought that Ravenclaw would be forced to forfeit the game. When they announced that they had a substitute Seeker, many wondered who it could be. No one was more surprised than the Gryffindor team, who were expecting an easy win.

_Gryffindor Locker Room_

Wood was asking everyone if they had heard of anything. No one had, Ravenclaw had apparently kept everything very secret, not even the twins knew who the replacement was, though they had their suspicions.

"Potter! Are you ready to go? It's you that will be up against the unknown today."

Chris smirked, "I think I'm good against anyone they can put up against me."

With that, he unveiled his surprise Christmas present. Everyone gaped at the Firebolt.

Wood exploded, "Why didn't you tell me this sooner!"

Chris sneered at the twins, "Because, SOME of us hang out with questionable crowds."

The twins smirked and Forge said, "Well Gred, it seems as though ickle Chirssy is jealous of Harry."

"As well he should be, considering how many times he's been put in his place by him and Hermione." Gred answered.

Chris sneered at them but said nothing. Finally Wood put a stop to the arguing and simply got on with the pre-game pep-talk.

_Ravenclaw Locker Room_

"So Harry, you ready to go?" Roger asked.

Harry sighed and nodded, "Sure. Let's do this."

Davies reiterated, for, what Harry seemed like, the hundredth time, "Now, remember, only catch the snitch if it looks like we are losing or if we are at least one hundred points up."

Harry nodded, knowing it wouldn't do any good to argue with him. _I swear, he's almost as bad as Wood, from what the twins tell me!_

_Quidditch Stadium_

Hermione was sitting with the rest of the group, not saying anything about Harry. Finally Tracy asked where he was.

"It's a surprise." Hermione answered, smiling like the cat who got the canary.

Before anyone could question her further, Lee Jordan's voice came on over the roar of the crowd.

"WELCOME EVERYONE! To the fourth Quidditch match of the season. Today it's Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw!"

He started throwing the names of each team member out to the screaming crowd, but when he got to the end of Ravenclaw's team he paused.

"Is this right Professor?" was heard over the microphone, "Alright Ladies and Gentlemen! Today we have a treat. Substituting for an injured Cho Chang, The Ravenclaw Seeker of this game is Harry Daniels!"

At this, a black and blue blur took flight from where the Ravenclaw team started and took up formation with the rest of the team. Harry looked resplendent in the royal blue team robes and sitting on the black as night broom. He had elected to wear Cho's number since he was subbing for her.

During all of this, the crowds were going wild and Jordan was talking about "Brother versus Brother" match but Harry simply pushed everything out of his mind. He smirked at Chris, who was seething. The look of loathing quickly turned to a triumphant grin.

Finally Madam Hooch walked onto the field and got the game started. Almost immediately Harry noticed that the broom Chris was on was too fast to be a Nimbus 2001. His unasked question was answered when he heard Jordan's voice over the dull roar of fans.

"And it seems that Gryffindor had it's own secret about this match! Potter seems to be riding a Firebot!"

Harry tuned everything else out as Jordan started listing off facts of the Firebolt. He simply circled the stadium, looking for the snitch. The Ravenclaw team had been practicing as much as they could and it showed. Their chasers were phenomenal and within forty-five minutes into the game, Ravenclaw was up 110 to 40, though it helped that Harry played interference whenever the twins started attacking them. A few times, Harry had a bit of fun with Chris and took off, as if he'd seen the snitch, only for him to pull off once Chris was chasing him, doing dangerous stunts.

At long last, after flying around the stadium for an hour, Harry spotted the snitch. It was hovering only a foot above Oliver's head. Harry knew that they weren't up by one hundred, so he simply got Chris' attention by flying straight at him, only diving at the last second, forcing Chris to follow. He took the fake chase through all of the opposing players and led Chris on a chase to the opposite end of the field. Once Chris realized what Harry had done, it was too late, the snitch had disappeared again.

X0X0X0X0X0

Chris was enraged. Harry Bloody Daniels was making a fool out of him! At the beginning of the match, he thought it would be easy to beat him. He had a Firebolt while Daniels had some unknown broom, it should have been simple! The game had been going on for nearly an hour and a half, with Ravenclaw up 200-110. _Nope, make that 210-110! Damn it! What the hell is going on! I've been playing Quidditch longer than Daniels and I have the better broom. How is he pulling moves that I wouldn't even try to attempt. Wait. What is he doing? Is it another fake?_ he watched as Harry dove towards the ground, then he saw a glint of gold in front of him. _Damn it!_

He quickly turned his broom and started for the snitch. All of a sudden his broom gave a hard shake. All of a sudden his own broom was trying to throw him off! He held on for his life. He was up nearly 70 feet in the air and knew that if he fell, there was a good chance he would die. All of a sudden there was a collective intake of air and Chris gave a sigh. They realized something was wrong with his broom. When he looked up, he noticed that everyone was looking behind him. He turned his head as the broom continued it quest to throw him off. What he saw made his insides go cold. There, coming onto the field, were two Dementors. He fumbled with his wand and finally got it out of his leg holster and focussed on a happy memory and cast the spell that his dad and pseudo uncles had been teaching him. A white silvery mass shot out of his wand and went back to trying to hold onto his broom.

Finally it gave a hard lurch and managed to throw him off. Luckily he was able to hold on and was hanging from his broom. Eventually, after the Dementors were dealt with, everyone noticed him hanging from his broom. At this point, Chris didn't care if he caught the snitch, he just didn't want to die.

X0X0X0X0X0

As Harry heard the collective gasps, he glanced over his shoulder and saw what looked like two Dementors. He got his wand out of his wrist holster and shot a patronus at it, knowing the adults or at least Hermione would take care of it. Then he pushed his broom past what was normally safe and snatched the snitch out of the air. He pulled up short, barely managing to stoop before he hit the ground. He noticed no one was cheering for him and looked up.

His sight was drawn to Chris as he dangled from his broom, which was bucking like a bronco, trying to dislodge him. He used his Falcon's sight to see in perfect detail that Chris was only a second away from losing his grip. No one could really do anything for fear of the crazy cursed broom and he couldn't get close enough, soon enough to catch him. He quickly knew what he had to do. He couldn't very well let the idiot die. Then Dumbles would focus all his attention on Harry as the "Only viable Chosen One" of the prophecy.

He sighed and pulled out his wand again and conjured a huge air mattress that he had seen while in Hollywood a few years before. He conjured it right underneath Chris and quickly cast an illusion over himself that would fool any medical scans Poppy or Dumbles could cast; making it look as if that one spell took nearly all of his magic. Conjuring, especially something that big, wasn't done until seventh year and few could conjure something that big.

When he landed, he dropped to his knees and heaved a bit, making it look as if he was sick. Hermione quickly made her way over to him, along with the rest of the group, the twins landing next to him, supporting his frame. He sent Hermione and Luna a quickly summary of what he did and his plan via telepathy. Just as they were done, Lily Potter, as well as Flitwick, Sirius Black and McGonagall came up to them.

"Harry! What happened?" Lily asked.

Harry said in a tired voice, "Did something that I probably shouldn't have. Tired myself out."

Hermione explained. "He saw Chris and knew he couldn't get to him in time, so he conjured that." she pointed to the large mattress one would normally only see on the set of a movie.

Sirius gasped, "You conjured that!"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, and I would rather walk to the Hospital Wing than have someone carry me because I passed out."

It was then that the adults realized he was probably near magical exhaustion. They made to help him back to the castle when Gwen flashed in. The beautiful bird trilled and landed on Harry but looked at Hermione.

Hermione nodded and said, "Okay, take him. Harry, we'll meet you there."

Harry closed his eyes and nodded his understanding. He felt Gwen flash him to a bed in the Hospital Wing, then flash out, arriving back seconds later with Chris and Poppy in tow. It appeared that Chris had a dislocated shoulder and a fractured Humerus from landing wrong on the mattress. Poppy quickly cast her diagnostic spells on him and found exactly what the illusions showed; magical exhaustion.

About fifteen minutes later the doors opened and in walked James Potter, Sirius Black, Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Lupin and Snape, along with Harry's group of friends, Ron, Neville, the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team and Roger Davies.

Once he was assured that Harry was fine and thanked him for helping the team, Roger left, knowing he was going to be shooed out by Madam Pomfrey. The Gryffindor team soon followed. Hermione and Luna sat on opposite sides of Harry's bed, each holding a hand. Harry didn't really have to play the part of being tired, he was bored out of his mind, just laying there in bed.

Everyone's attention was drawn to Chris' bed when James and Lily Potter were questioning their son about where he got the Firebolt, apparently they hadn't gotten it for him.

"I got it for Christmas. I thought that I could use it to beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I wanted to surprise everyone, that's why I didn't tell anyone." he confessed.

James looked at Sirius and Remus. Lupin said, "We found three curses designed to throw off the rider after a certain amount of time being airborne. Eventually, it would have burst into flames if the rider hadn't been thrown off at a certain point. Whoever sent the broom meant to kill whoever was riding it."

James said, "And they would have, if it weren't for Harry." they all turned towards Harry's bed and looked at him.

Lily said, "Thank you Harry. Most people wouldn't have done that, in your position."

Harry scoffed, "Yeah well, no one else was going to do it. As much as I dislike Chris, I wasn't about to let him die."

James cut in, "Regardless, thank you. What you did, not many people could have done that, especially at your age."

Harry nodded, then asked, "So, who were the idiots playing dress up?"

At their questioning looks, Hermione explained, "The fake Dementors. Even from where I was, I could tell they were fake, no cold, no bad memories."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I shot a patronus at them to scare the hell out of them and on the off chance that I was wrong and they were in fact Dementors."

Dumbledore said, "It was Mr.'s Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint."

Harry snorted, "They will never learn, cunning my ass."

Snape sneered, "It isn't them in the Hos-"

Harry interrupted him by vanishing his mouth. With the spell done, his face became pale as a ghost and his eyes rolled in the back of his head for a second.

Madam Pomfrey reprimanded him. "Mr. Daniels! Your core is already exhausted! I must tell you not to cast any more spells until it has recharged. Otherwise you could damage it beyond repair."

Harry shrugged, "Eh. It's not the first time I've been magically exhausted and it won't be the last. I know my limits Madam Pomfrey and besides, he was annoying me. In order to heal properly, I must be comfortable. Now I am." he finished smirking at her.

The Marauders snickered and Lily smirked a bit.

Dumbledore stepped in. "Regardless, Mr. Daniels, I shall have to take twenty points for cursing a teacher. Now, tell us how you were able to conjure something like that?"

Harry turned to Hermione and asked, "Surely he can't be talking to me can he? I mean, does he not remember that the Charter is in effect and therefore he is forbidden from talking to me. He can't have forgotten our last conversation can he? He's always saying that he isn't going senile but if he can't remember a simple conversation..."

Blaise smirked, "Well, it's nice to see your sense of humour hasn't diminished. Still a sarcastic ass."

Harry smirked tiredly, "Always will be." he chuckled.

McGonagall sighed, "Albus, you can't take points from him, Severus was actively baiting him and, like with Severus, any points you take must be viewed by his Head of House and decided if the punishment is valid. Now, Harry, could you please tell us how you were able to manage conjuring something of that size."

Harry sighed, "Well, it's something that I was told not to do unless absolutely needed. I saw the need and so I used it, it was easier to conjure because it is completely hollow."

Flitwick asked "What do you mean?"

"Well, where people have trouble in conjuring is with the mass of the conjured object. The mass of the mattress was small because it was filled with air. That was how I conjured it. But because I haven't really started conjuring much, it took more power than I expected."

Poppy tutted, "Yes and nearly drained your core to dangerous levels."

Neville asked, "How was one spell able to drain you of so much magic?"

McGonagall answered, "A witch or wizard can only do certain spells once their magical cores have reached a certain level, as a person grows, their core grows. As it gets bigger, a person is able to perform more complex spells and spells that cost more energy to cast."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, the reason I can cast other spells that would normally be draining on a person is because I have practiced them. The first time I cast a patronus, I was down with magical exhaustion for a day and a half. Because I started using my magic really young, my core has more stamina than most, but it still has limits."

Lupin cut in with a question. "I was wondering how you learned to cast the patronus."

Harry said, "Well, in the beginning, it was just by saying the spell and using good memories. Like what I did with Hermione and the rest of my friends. After a certain point, they used a boggart, since this was before the Nundu incident. I did this with Hermione over the summer. Once I got a corporeal patronus, they had me go against a boggart while trapped within a Nightmare and Sorrow Ward." the adults gasped.

Lily said, "But, those are illegal wards."

Harry shrugged, "Maybe in Britain, but in America, that is how they train the Mages to cast a patronus without using a real dementor. Same effects without the danger." he blinked tiredly, "Look, I'm going to pass out soon so any more questions?"

When no one answered he nodded, but saying, "Okay, good. See you later Mione, Luna, everyone. I would name each of you but I would fall asleep before..." he didn't finish before he fell asleep, causing everyone in their group to laugh.

Dumbledore whispered to James, "James, I believe you should bring Harry into the Ministry for questioning for the use of those wards. They are dangerous and illegal for a reason and should not havve been used on a child."

Hermione overheard with her Shadowcat improved hearing.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Dumbledore." she said.

Everyone turned to her, to see her glaring at the old headmaster. What surprised most of them was the visible aura surrounding her and her glowing eyes.

"You heard Harry. He wasn't on British soil when those wards were used, therefore it is out of the British Ministries jurisdiction."

Lily Potter chanced using Mage Sight and held in a gasp, she could see that Hermione's aura was much brighter than what she had observed before and she could see thin strands of light,chaining most of the magic within her.

Dumbledore put a grandfatherly smile on and said, "This is of no concern to you Miss Granger, in actuality, you will need to be taken as well if you were apart of something similar."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "So you're willing to risk in international incident because your ego was hurt? Fine. Susan, call your aunt, she will want to be apart of this since she is the Head of the DMLE."

Before the adults could do anything, Susan had a mirror out and talking to her aunt. Harry and Hermione had showed their group the mirrors and they had thought they were a great idea and each had one to contact their families. Sooner than anyone could think, the fireplace flared and Madam Amelia Bones, Mad Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped into the Hospital Wing.

"What is this about Susan?" Amelia asked her niece.

Hermione interrupted and said, "I'm sorry Madam Bones, I had her call you to settle the issue."

Amelia raised and eyebrow but said nothing, he had met the Ravenclaw before and she knew that Hermione Granger wouldn't call her for something trivial.

Hermione looked at Harry then sighed. "This is going to be dangerous and hurt quite a bit. I'm sorry Harry."

Before anyone could ask what she was talking about, she called out, "Gwen! Malcolm!"

Immediately, the two phoenixes flashed into the room, they circled and landed on the headboard of Harry's bed.

Hermione said, "I need you to help Harry get back to full strength there are things he needs to be apart of and would be very upset to miss." she finished with a smirk.

The two phoenixes nodded and settled on Harry's chest and Hermione motioned for everyone to step back from Harry. When they were a safe distance away, Harry and the two birds were engulfed in flames of every color. Both Hermione and Luna, as well as Moody had to look away. On a hunch, Lily used Mage Sight and was immediately blinded. She had to blink a few times before she was able to see properly again.

After a few seconds the two birds flashed away and Harry jumped up, his eyes glowing an eerie green and he had dancing green flames on his body.

"Holy Crap! What the hell Hermione!?" he yelped.

Hermione grimaced slightly and explained to the rest while Harry went to the far wall and started channeling magic into the castle wards. "They poured magic directly into his core. He has to get rid of the excess before he literally burns out."

At their stunned looks she just watched Harry in concern. Finally he pulled away from the wall and went back to the bed. Pomfrey bustled over and scanned him.

"Your core is completely recharged!" she exclaimed.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I know. Hermione, what the hell did you do that for? You know how dangerous it is. It could have burned my core out."

Hermione shrunk inward on herself and explained, "You needed to be apart of the conversation and it was the only way for that to happen. Dumbles was trying to get the aurors to arrest us because of the wards the Mages used."

Harry's head snapped towards Dumbledore, eyes glowing. "That won't happen, the Mages won't allow it."

Hermione nodded sadly. Harry sighed and hugged her, telling her it was fine.

Madam Bones finally lost her patience, "Would someone tell me what is going on?"

Hermione looked Harry in the eye and sent him the memory of what happened.

He turned to Madam Bones and said, "We apologize Madam Bones. I was magically exhausted and the phoenixes recharged my core so I could be a part of this conversation. Hermione had Susan call you because she overheard Dumbles trying to get Aurors Potter and Black to arrest us on trumped up charges. It seems that we hurt his ego severely enough for him to try and get back at us in any way."

Dumbledore said, "That is not true. I simply explained that anyone who would put a child through a Nightmare and Sorrow Ward to learn to cast the Patronus Charm should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law. Since you are not willing to listen to reason, I merely pointed out that perhaps it would be best for you to be taken to the Ministry where you could be properly questioned."

Harry rolled his eyes.

He turned to Madam Bones and explained, "I learned to cast the charm casting it against a boggart under the effects of a Nightmare and Sorrow ward. It is completely legal because I did not learn in Britain. I learned from the Mages and in the U.S., it is legal. It is how they learn to cast the charm without the danger of using an actual Dementor. Dumbles here, apparently wants to risk an international incident by having your department arrest two people with citizenship in multiple countries, including the U.S. on charges that are completely baseless."

Amelia and the two aurors with her looked at Dumbledore for an explanation.

After not getting anything, Amelia said, "Albus, you have no say whatsoever in government any longer. I would stay out of things that do not concern you. Especially where Lord Daniels is. James, Sirius, do nothing about them. They are correct, though it isn't legal here, they did not perform this training on British soil, therefore it is none of our business." turning towards Harry she said, "Miss Granger, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have no doubt that my aurors would have done nothing, however I am glad that I was alerted. Is there any other training I should be aware of that would be considered illegal in Britain?"

Harry shrugged, "Well, I got most of my training from the Mages and the Australian Outback Special Forces. I got trained in other places but those two trained me the most."

Moody looked at Harry, appraisingly, "I know people in those groups. They're tough as nails, especially the Australians. Why did you go to them? And why did they decide to train a kid like you?"

Harry smirked, "Because I impressed them and because I happened to know people who knew people in the Mages and the Mages are on good terms with the Australian O.S.F."

Moody looked at him hard for a minute, before nodding to himself. They talked a bit more before the three left and Harry was discharged from the Hospital. He and his group left to go to the Great Hall for dinner. The three remaining Gryffindors watched as they left, surprised at the Headmaster's reaction. Chris finally realized that Harry had actually been in danger when he was brought into the Hospital Wing and something akin to gratefulness slowly wormed it's way into his mind. He was slowly beginning to see, no matter how much he didn't want to, his twin's side of things.

X0X0X0X0X0

"Where are you taking us?" whined a barely awake Blaise.

Harry smirked, "Well, considering that it's raining outside, we figured that you wouldn't want to work out in the cold rain. So, we decided to show you all a new place we found."

They finally reached the corridor with Barnabas the Barmy and the dancing trolls. Once there, Hermione started pacing back and forth, thinking of a place for them all to work out. The others looked at her like she was crazy but those looks quickly evaporated and looks of astonishment replaced them as the door to the Room of Requirement appeared in front of their eyes.

"What is this place?" both twins asked. They had long ago learned to just speak at the same time when they were with the rest of the group.

Surprisingly, Luna was the one to answer. "This is the Room of Requirement or the Come and Go Room. How did you two find it?" she asked her fellow Ravens.

Having explained their maps to the group after giving the twins their own copy, she explained how she had noticed a blank spot on the map and how she and Harry had investigated the corridor and finally found the answer. They told them about their conversation with Rowena and swore all of them to secrecy about the Founders' private rooms throughout the castle. Of course, the three Slytherins demanded to see Slytherin's personal study at some point.

Finally, they entered the room and found it to be exactly what they needed. There was a large track for them to run and a large field for them to practice the various fighting forms that each had chosen to work with. Apart from the "outside" workout space, there was also an indoor gym, modeled after a mundane gym as well as a spell practice area with dummies for target practice.

X0X0X0X0X0

During the second week of February, Harry brought up a question that had the group thinking.

"Do any of you know how to duel? I mean properly as well as fighting?" he asked.

Susan asked, "What do you mean? Aren't they the same?"

Hermione shook her head, "No. That's what I thought too, but there is a difference. Dueling has a set of rules, depending on the style of the duel. Formal dueling is turn based and is rather archaic. More modern dueling is much closer to fighting but there are still rules in place that the duelists must follow. In fighting, there are no rules. When I think of fighting someone, I think of an enemy that means to do me or my friends harm. Fighting between friends is considered sparring, like what we do."

Harry nodded, "Exactly. So I'll ask again, do any of you know how duel properly and how to fight?"

The twins answered, "We've never really been in a situation that required us to find out."

The others nodded, Susan explained that she knew how to duel because her aunt had taught her the basics.

Harry nodded, knowing that was the answer he was going to get. He explained that they should start training each other, purely for self defense. he explained that he was positive that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would eventually make a return after the events of the last two years. Everyone agreed with his prediction. Both he and Hermione started by explaining to them about the concept of a spell-chain and told each of them to start keeping a journal of different spells they could use in a fight and start developing their own spell-chains.

"Be sure to look at every spell that you know, even simply cleaning charms could be used in a duel, if used properly and at the right time." Hermione explained.

As one, the whole group got up from the table and started to exit the Great Hall, but Flitwick called for Harry and Hermione to stay behind.

"Please follow me to my office. I want to talk to both of you." he instructed.

They followed behind him, wondering what their professor wanted to discuss.

Once sequestered in his office, he started casting privacy charms all around his office, seeing that he wanted privacy for their talk, Harry simply put up a series of wards that effectively cut off the office from the rest of the castle and dispelled any tracking or monitoring charms on them. Flitwick looked questioningly at him, but said nothing.

Finally, after a few seconds of silence, Flitwick asked, "Where did you get your training?"

Harry put a surprised look on his face and answered, "I don't know what you mean professor. I've told the professors that I was trained before coming to Hogwarts and that my training is from all over."

Flitwick smiled slightly, "Yes, you did say that, but I meant your dueling experience."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, trying to figure out where their professor was coming from.

Flitwick clarified, "I know that you both are hiding your true skills, I don't know why, but I will not tell anyone you do not wish what is discussed between us. I know about your skills because of your duel in Rome over the summer. I watched it through that journal you gave me. I realized that you both had kept your skills a secret for a reason, so I waited to see if you would come to me with questions which allowed me to question you about it. When you did not, I realized that I would need to come to you."

Harry nodded his understanding and asked, "Why do you wish to know professor?"

Flitwick smiled, "Because I am the one who trained the trainer of your last opponents and what I saw was an amazing duel. I wish to know if you would like more instruction on it."

Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped. They both knew Flitwick was dueling champion on the International Dueling Circuit in his youth and he was willing to teach them?

Harry asked him, "Professor, I mean no disrespect, but how close are you with your Goblin heritage?"

Flitwick straighten and said seriously, "Very close. I have family that I visit whenever I get the chance and still consider myself a Goblin. I simply embrace the wizard side of my heritage too."

Hermione asked, "So, you are still bound by the laws Goblins have towards Friends of the Goblin Nation?"

Flitwick nodded. "Yes. If I was not, I would not be welcome on Goblin Soil and no Goblin would speak to me or consent to be in the same room with me."

Harry nodded, "Well then, we are invoking those laws now." All three of them felt a shift in the air. The two students watched as Flitwick's whole demeanor changed; his back straightened and his eyes took on a fiercer look. If they didn't know, no one could ever tell that the being before them was a common school teacher. The change Filius witnessed in his two students was much more subtle. He saw a change in their eyes, they gained an edge that not many people had, Harry much more so than Hermione. He suddenly felt much more power radiating out from them and was humbled by it.

The charms professor nodded his understanding and Harry began to explain his true past, not just the one he let everyone else see. He and Hermione did not come outright and say they were members of the Order of Shadows, but they implied enough so that if Flitwick knew of the Order, then he would know. He explained the Horcruxes that he and his "friends" were searching for, with the help of the Goblin Nation and he let the part Goblin know about his different abilities. Both he and Hermione explained what they thought Dumbledore's overall plan was and why Harry distrusted him so much. Through it all, Flitwick held in his anger towards the Headmaster and held any questions he had until the end. Towards the end of the long and tiresome conversation, both Harry and Hermione brought out their dueling journals and showed them to the Dueling Master.

"So this is what the two of you have been working on during class." he exclaimed, "These are marvellous! You both obviously have the thinking of professional duelists. Now, I shall teach you to duel like true duelists. However before we get started, tell me why you seem to be slowly teaching your group of friends what you know?"

Harry said, "Because, when Voldemort comes back, and he will, we want our friends to be ready. Blaise, Daphne and Tracey are already, literally, in the Snake's pit. It will only get more dangerous for them. The twins and Ginny are Weasleys. Everyone knows that their family always stands for the good, not to mention their affiliation with the Potters, so they will be in danger. Susan and Hannah are high profile because of Susan's aunt being who she is and Hannah being Susan's best friend. Luna is family and I will always protect her." he finished with conviction.

Hermione continued, "We are also giving them a choice they wouldn't have without us. We are giving them the choice to fight for their right to live or escaping Britain with their families. I know that Daphne's little sister, Astoria, is also in Slytherin but doesn't interact with us out of fear of her yearmates. Daphne has the protection given to her by the rest of us, but her sister is two years younger and no one in her year is friends with us, so she is effectively on her own. Harry and I have given her a bit more protection since putting the Greengrass family under our protection but she only interacts with fellow Slytherins out of fear of reprisal."

Flitwick nodded his understanding. He understood that without the choices Harry and Hermione were giving their friends, they would either have to join Voldemort and forever be labeled as a dark family, deny him outright, which was a death sentence or worse during the last war, or they could try and escape, with a slim chance of success.

Thus began their training. After they showed him the Room of Requirement, it was decided that they would meet with Flitwick once a week, Thursday, in the evenings to practice dueling. They would meet with him with their group of friends on a different day of the week, Tuesday, so he could train their friends as well.

X0X0X0X0X0

"Come." answered McGonagall from within her office.

Harry and Hermione led the procession of their friends into her office, smirking at the shocked look on her face.

"What can I help all of you with?" she asked after the initial surprise.

Harry stepped forward. It was decided that he and Hermione would do the talking.

"We need your help with something professor. But before you decide to help us, you probably need to read this book."

He handed her the book he and Hermione had gotten all of their friends for Christmas. She simply raised an eyebrow at seeing the title, waiting for an explanation.

"We have already finished the first part of the process and we wish you to oversee the rest of it." Hermione explained.

The Transfiguration Mistress let out a gasp. "All of you have already found your inner animals? How long have you been workin on this?"

Harry shrugged, "For a little over a month, since the start of the new term."

B-But how have you already found your forms? What are they, by the way?" she asked, shocked.

Harry smiled, "Just because the British say there is only one way to do something, doesn't mean there is. And I am a Falcon, I think it's a Peregrine Falcon. Almost completely black with a few green tinted feathers. Mione is a Raven with a few bronze-tinted feathers. Our identifying marks are our eyes; mine are my natural green and Mione's are golden brown and the feathers."

Luna smiled, "I'm a Harpy Eagle, light grey and white in color. The light colored feathers and blue eyes."

Daphne said, "I'm a Lynx. Iberian, I think and light grey in color. My eyes are my marker."

Blaise followed, "I'm also a Lynx, but different from Daph, I think I'm a Eurasian Lynx and a dark charcoal color. The dark coloring being my marker."

Tracy smirked, "I'm a Red Fox. My eyes are my marker."

Ginny smiled brightly, "I'm a Tigress. The slight mane of deep red is my marker" At this, McGonagall looked more proud than they had seen her before.

Fred smiled and said, "You're looking at a Coyote, charcoal grey and red.

"And surprisingly I'm a Coyote, normal grey and red. And, as you've guessed, the red is our marker." George said, while the others smirked at the fact that they were so alike that their forms were nearly identical too.

Susan smiled, "I'm a Hare, reddish brown. My red fur is my marker."

Hannah finished up the group with, "I'm an Otter, brown and white. The light colors are my marker."

McGonagall was impressed. All eleven of these students had already started working on what took others at least a year to accomplish! If they were able to complete the transformation, they would more than double the number of registered animagi in Britain. She was glad that they had come to her and not started the transformation without supervision.

"Okay, I will agree to help all of you, on the condition that you all register when you complete the transformation." she finished with a raised eyebrow, challenging anyone to say differently.

She nodded. "Fine. We will start on Saturday. I assume you all would like to keep this a secret?"

As one, the group nodded their heads.

Harry said, "Particularly from the Headmaster, if you could."

McGonagall nodded, "Yes, I thought as much. However, once you register, it will be public news and most likely be in the paper because once the training is done, you will effectively double the number of animagi in Britain."

Harry nodded, "We know, but we don't want him stopping us from training. I'm sure that you are aware, Voldemort is coming back and we wish to have every advantage possible."

McGonagall nodded, though she wasn't happy that these children seemed to be preparing for war, she understood why. She spent the following week reading the book Harry had given her. She knew there were different ways to achieve he transformation but she hadn't heard of this way. It was intriguing to read about.

The group showed the Transfiguration professor the Room of Requirement, after getting a promise out of her that she wouldn't say anything to Dumbles and she started to oversee their transformations. With classes, dueling practice, animagus training and training as a group, their shedules were completely packed and the group as a whole were more than grateful to Harry and Hermione for teaching them Occlumency. It took the pressure off, knowing that they didn't need to study as much for the upcoming exams.

**A/N: So this chapter just sort of came out as I was writing. I'm sure there are things that I can and will improve on, grammar and punctuation wise. However, I felt bad that I haven't gotten anything out and have been way off schedule so I just wanted to get this out. As you'll note, I've started to bring more people into Harry's circle, mainly Flitwick and, to an extent, McGonagall. I am slowly having Harry undermine Dumbles' support within the school, since it is the last place he has power after Harry took his other positions away. I have a poll on my profile that would like some feedback on.**

**A/N 2: I also have started working on Chris. Let me be clear, Harry and Chris will NEVER be friends, however Chris is growing up and it is only natural for him to mature and start to see things differently. He will learn to have a grudging respect towards Harry and Hermione. Ron and Neville already do because of what happened the previous year. Harry will also, in the next book, give grudging respect to Chris' own skills. I've read quite a few Wrong BWL stories and a common theme is the sibling gets by, completely on fame and has no skills of their own. I don't want that to be the case with my story. They will be nowhere near Harry's skills but he will have some skills that I've hinted at in this book. Also, you'll note that in the beginning, there was a Quidditch match. I tried writing it, but found I am horrible with commentary so that is what I decided to go with.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only play in the universe. Any ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 8

"So it's decided. You will lead the attack, do as much damage as possible and get out. Then, when the time is right, the bait will be ready and the trap will spring with they least expect it." a shadowy figure said.

Another asked, "Are we sure the brat will fall for it?"

The first speaker snarled, "Of Course! If the bait is right, then the brat will come to us and we can take care of the rest."

With the plan set, the various black cloaks started disappearing one by one until the cave was empty of all inhabitants.

X0X0X0X0X0

"Come one! Move your feet. The best way to avoid a spell is not to shield, it's to not be there when the curse hits!" Harry shouted over the din of spellfire.

It was the middle of May, the Quidditch season was finally over with Ravenclaw winning the cup. Gryffindor had beaten Slytherin but didn't have the points to catch up with Ravenclaw. Though, Harry had a suspicion when the game started that Wood was just trying to keep Slytherin from winning it again. The night after the game, Harry slept like a baby, after witnessing Snape's glower. Most of Ravenclaw thanked him and attributed the win to his superb playing against Gryffindor.

He was brought back to the present when a chime sounded throughout the room. It signaled that their morning training was done with and they needed to head back to their dorms to start the day. Everyone gathered up their things and made their way out of the Room of Requirement. The group of friends went their separate ways, all being very proud with what they'd been able to get done in such a short amount of time.

They had all successfully cast a corporeal patronus and had no issues with it anymore. Their Occlumency shields were all very strong, and thanks to Harry and Hermione, they each learned Battle-based Occlumency and could easily hold their own against Snape or Dumbles. Their dueling skills had improved drastically as well. However, while Susan and Hannah could hold their own against most people and were just as good as the others in the group, they found that their interests laid outside of offensive magic.

Hannah found that she like healing much more and found she had a knack for it. Susan found that she liked the idea of spellcrafting and would frequently join Hermione when experimenting. The three Slytherins were of the mind that they knew they would be forced to fight when the time came, so they made ready for it. They already knew that they would choose Harry's side and made sure to let him know that. The lions of their group were the same. They were sure that their family would choose to back Dumbledore, but the three of them would follow Harry all the way.

By the end of April, McGonagall was impressed with their progress with their animagus training. They had already started getting the senses from their animal forms and they were already incorporating their more animalistic tendencies into their natural behavior. The only thing left that they had to do was to transform and keep the transformation for an extended period of time. After debating with Harry and Hermione for a week, Minerva relented and gave up on her idea of bringing in the only other two animagi in the castle. Both Ravens were reluctant to let anyone outside of their small circle know about their extra abilities, especially two people that were as close to the headmaster as James Potter and Sirius Black.

Around this time, students were starting to stress with upcoming finals and the Fifth and Seventh years could always be found in the library, studying for their upcoming OWLs and NEWTs. As always, Harry and Hermione started their study group, helping those that asked for their help and at the same time, studying themselves. The difference was the rest of their group were helping as well, their Occlumency training helping them more than they had, at first, thought and they found that they didn't need to study as much as years past.

For their Muggle Studies class, Harry and Hermione had to write a paper on how the Mundane world has affected the Magical world. They both decided to not just focus on the British Magical community, but the world-wide Magical community. Once that was decided, the paper was much simpler. Both detailed differences they had each seen on their tour of the U.S. the summer after their first year and Harry had gone on to talk about what he had seen the six years he was absent from Britain. Lily, as well as some other professors were impressed with both their reports.

However, through all of the chaos of the upcoming exams, there was still some talk about the prank the Shadows pulled as a birthday present to the Weasley twins.

_Flashback: April 1st_

The Great Hall slowly filled with students as morning classes ended and lunch was ready to begin. A few people, especially the staff, were getting a bit anxious because a huge prank hadn't happened since Christmas and it was only a matter of time. Attention was drawn to the Gryffindor table as it was every year on this particular date. It was the first of April and that meant the Weasley Twins' birthday. The Weasley matron had sent her sons a basket of homemade fudge and letters telling them how proud she was. She had apparently heard of their more studious nature and assumed that they were toning down the pranks or better yet, had stopped altogether.

What she didn't know was the twins were approached separately by both Harry and Hermione as well as James Potter and Sirius Black. Both groups had made a deal with them that they would give them the money to start up a shop if they did well on their OWLs. Unknown to the Marauders, the twins decided to make Harry and Hermione partners while only agreeing to the loan from James and Sirius. Other students and even the staff were amazed and more than a bit frightened to see them studying so much. Their main thought was, "If those two never study and cause this much chaos, how much will they cause by learning more magic?!"

About halfway through the meal, there was a commotion at the staff table. A dark shadowy cloud surrounded both the headmaster and Snape, obscuring them from view. After a few seconds of the entire hall just staring, blankly at the pair, the smoke moved away from them, revealing Snape in what had to be a set of Dumbledore's robes, with a beard as long as the headmaster's and his normally dark eyes, twinkling, like the headmaster. Dumbledore however, was dressed in pitch black robes and his beard and hair were as slick and greasy looking as Snape's hair on his worst days.

After the initial silence, the entire student and staff population erupted in laughter. Both recipients of the prank tried their best to cancel the spells but no matter what they did, nothing ended the prank. Finally, they both stood up and made their way out of the Great Hall, letting their audience witness the last part of the prank. Normally, Snape's robes billowed out, intimidating the students, however, now, they appeared to be as stiff as stone. The Headmaster's robes, on the other hand, were billowing completely out of control, sometimes even whipping him in the face, as he made his way out the Hall. As they neared the door, the two clouds of dark smoke that originally covered them joined together and condensed into the shape of two shadows.

"The Shadows wish the Weasley twins a very happy birthday and hope they enjoy our present to them."

The two birthday twins stood and clapped loudly for the present, soon almost everyone was clapping with them, even a few teachers, the two aurors on duty, Potter and Black were barely holding themselves upright, they were laughing so hard.

Finally, McGonagall got everything back under control and the meal ended. As the students were leaving the Great Hall, the twins made their way over towards the rest of the group.

"That was the best birthday present EVER! You two. Thank you." Forge said.

"I agree. Nothing can ever top that. I haven't laughed that hard since the Christmas Prank, two years ago." Gred added.

Harry and Hermione smirked at each other and said, innocently, "Why are you thanking us? We have absolutely no idea how that happened. But you're welcome all the same."

The rest of the group rolled their eyes at the innocent act the two Ravens had going, everyone in the school knew they were the ones behind the spectacular pranks pulled on staff and students alike. They also knew that if they could get the Headmaster and the most feared professor in the castle that easily, no one was safe from them.

As always, Flitwick and McGonagall requested their wands to check.

"I don't know why you always come to us. I mean, we haven't been found responsible for any of the pranks in the past, what makes you think it will be different this time?" Hermione asked.

Lily and the Marauders chuckled at the two teens while their Head of House had a bit more control and only smirked a bit. McGonagall's lips thinned as their wands were checked and unsurprisingly, they were clean.

"Because Miss Granger, we are hoping that one of these times, you both will slip up and we will get you for something." the deputy Headmistress deadpanned.

Harry smiled innocently, "But we have a perfect record professor. We would never do something to jeopardize that! After all, besides these... misunderstandings and the issues we have with the Headmaster and Snape, we are model students aren't we?"

James and Sirius lost it at that and had to be silenced by Lily.

McGonagall graced them with a small smirk, "I do have to admit, that is true. Your grades and your willingness to help your fellow classmates, regardless of House, has indeed helped your record. I would hate to see your chances for prefectship and Head positions ruined because of some silly pranks."

Hermione smiled, "Oh don't worry. We would never endanger that by being caught doing a prank."

The other staff and students listening in were amazed that Harry and Hermione weren't in Slytherin. The double talk that they were doing, nearly admitting to the pranks without really admitting anything at all, confused some and caused laughter to erupt from others in the assembled group of eavesdroppers.

_End Flashback_

Harry and Hermione had decided that they would only do the big pranks, no more little ones here and there. They would only do a few a year and all of them would be huge; either against the whole staff or individual members as well as pranks on whole Houses, not just individual students. If they felt the need to do individual people, the Shadows wouldn't claim credit for them.

X0X0X0X0X0

The third Saturday of May, they were all in the Room of Requirement with Professor McGonagall when all of a sudden, the group started disappearing, in there places were animals. McGonagall was amazed at the progress they had made. They had each achieved their first transformations. The animals themselves were amazed. They walked around, or in the three Ravenclaws' cases, learned to fly. Hannah's otter was seen near the small stream they had running at the edge of the field they were practicing on. After about ten minutes, they all changed back, most were panting slightly, but more from excitement than exhaustion. All of them were smiling widely.

Minerva gave them each a genuine smile. "I am so proud of all of you! Fifty points to each of you for following your goal through and learning something that only masters usually undertake! Now, I have the forms for you to all fill out and register your forms with the Ministry."

Harry smirked, "Actually Professor. Hermione and I had a friend owl us the forms to formally register with the ICW."

The professor was flabbergasted. "Bu-But the British Ministry doesn't normally check with outside sources!"

Harry shrugged, smirking evilly, "That's not our fault. We are still legally registered and Ministry can't do anything about it."

Daphne laughed and Tracy said, "Hermione, whatever you do, never let him get away. If you do, any girl in Slytherin will snatch him up before you can blink!"

Hermione chuckled slightly and kissed Harry chastely on the lips. "Never going to happen."

McGonagall smiled slightly and nodded her agreement. This way, they were legally registered as Animagi, could use the ability in any country represented by the ICW without letting the foreign government's know and the British Magical Community would never know because of their isolationist tendencies. The registration fees were extra for registering internationally, but Harry and Hermione covered the costs easily.

McGonagall helped each of them fill their forms out and then took pictures of their animal forms to attach with the registration forms.

"I wish I had learned this way. The way I attained my form was by meditating and self-transfiguration. I know that Aurors Potter and Black used the potion to force their transformations and then used self-transfiguration. This way seems, much more fluid and beautiful. More natural."

Harry nodded, "That's why we decided to do it this way. On top of the fact that after the initial transformation, we don't really need to practice to keep our forms for nearly as long. In a way, it is more natural than the other ways there are."

McGonagall nodded. After their professor left, the group, as a whole, met and discussed how they should proceed.

"Um. Guys, just a question. Did any of you, when talking with your magic, get the feeling that our forms are the ones our magic would have picked for us? I mean, it felt like my magic was trying to tell me something but I couldn't quite get it." Hannah asked.

The others slowly nodded there agreement and Harry glanced at Hermione. _Should we let them figure it out on their own? Or tell them?_

Hermione answered, _I don't think we should come right out and tell them, but maybe we can nudge them in the right direction._

Harry turned back to Hannah, "What do you mean?"

Hannah thought for a moment, then said, "Well, I mean, it seems like our magic chose our forms based on our core personality traits. We've already figured out that Susan and I aren't really the fighting sort, so our forms don't really have a use in fighting. But I felt like it was weird to just limit myself to one animal."

Daphne nodded, "Yeah. It was like my magic was trying to ask me why I was only using my one form, like we could have more than one form."

Harry smiled. "This doesn't leave the group."

The others nodded seriously, they understood that a lot of what Harry was teaching them could get them in trouble with the British Ministry. Being able to take on the form of any animal could and would draw the attention of the Ministry and they could make the groups' lives hard if they wanted to.

"Okay, not many people know this, even outside Britain. To them, it's all legend and myth. It is not impossible to have more than one animagus form. The only thing stopping a person from changing into other animals is themselves. People _believe_ that a person can't have more than one animal form so they don't allow themselves to try for another. The truth is that while your true form does, in fact, have a bigger impact on you in your human body, you can take the shape of other animals if you want to and train your magic to." Harry explained.

Hermione continued, "While we only have the senses from our true forms, the forms our magic chose for us, we can take the shape of any living, breathing animal we want. It's all a matter of perception and power. On the Emrys index, anyone over the 750 point can get the forms easily. The lower your score, the harder it is to get different animals."

Harry said, after a moments pause, "Hell, if you wanted to, you could take the shape of a magical creature." ignoring the gasps, he continued, "Granted you wouldn't have the abilities they have, you would have to use your own magic to replicate them. Take phoenixes, for example. To flame somewhere, you would need to do something close to what I do. I call it shifting because that's what it feels like. It combines Wizard/Witch apparation and the Goblin and House Elf equivalents. Now the only reason I know this is because of the temple I went to in India. I took Hermione there last summer and she learn the same thing. Originally, I thought that you had to have an index score of 750 and above to get the transformations, but the monks up there showed us that we were wrong in our assumptions. Anyone with enough will and determination can do it."

"Personally, we each have lists of animals we want to try. And you Hannah, already have one of the ones I want to try." Hermione mock pouted at the blonde Hufflepuff.

Fred and George, together said, "So, what you're saying is that we can change into any animal we want? The only thing stopping us is our power level?"

Harry nodded, "Yes and No. The lower your power level, the harder it is to perfect the transformation, but it isn't impossible. Now, something I forgot to mention when we first started was that by merging with your cores as often as you have, you've been exercising them. They've been growing stronger every time you merge with them. By... 'communing', for lack of a better word, with your magic, you have allowed it to grow, the same way you grow as a person over the course of your childhood."

The others looked at him surprised but Susan said, "Well, I guess that's right. I mean ever since I started, I feel like I've been getting stronger, some spells that I had problems with became easier to do over time."

The twins nodded, agreeing with her, realizing that it was the same for them. Ginny, Susan and the three Slytherins thought about it before agreeing with the assessment. They sat there, in the Room of Requirement, talking about the different things that merging with their core had done and reading about different aspects of magic. By the time they were done, they had ten minutes to get to their common rooms before curfew.

X0X0X0X0X0

The week went by quickly. During classes, the group would pay attention on new things, but when they were going over subjects they had learned with Harry and Hermione, each group member would just take out their spell journals and continue thinking of spell chains. Susan and Tracy had taken to following Hermione's example and would try to break down the spell they were learning into it's arithmantic formula. Especially when both Claws had given them Arithmancy books to look at and study.

Finally the weekend came and it was the last Hogsmeade Weekend of the year and the weekend before all students would start cramming for exams. While the others went into the village Ginny and Luna decided to go to the Room of Requirement and practice their dueling. The group found that they really only needed to use harmless spells while dueling because they could practice their reflexes and improve their dodging. To improve their spell casting speed, they would go to the "shooting range", as Harry and Hermione called it, and fire different spells as fast as they could. The fastest in the group, besides Harry and Hermione, was Tracy. Her record was one spell every three seconds. Harry and Hermione were sure that when they got around to teaching silent casting and even will casting (Casting without specific spells, just their will), everyone would be much faster than they currently were. The nine in the group felt they were greatly in debt to the two Ravens that had taught them so much. They all knew that both Harry and Hermione knew more than they let on, but didn't mind because they taught them things that would help them survive and go on to do great things in the future.

Harry and Hermione were once again, dressed to go out on their date to Hogsmeade. Harry was wearing a pair of black jeans and a green button down shirt with his black leather jacket and black dragonhide boots. Both the jeans and jacket were reinforced with Basilisk hide. Hermione had on a pair of blue jeans with a dark grey blouse and her own black leather jacket and a pair of low heel boots; both her jeans and jacket were reinforced like Harry's. Once in the village, the group split up, the twins going to Zonko's and the 'Puffs going to Honeydukes. The snakes went to pick up a few reams of parchment and quills for the groups' finals. While they all used normal paper and pens for notes and homework, only to transfigure it before turning it in, they were forced to use parchment and quills for finals. Harry and Hermione walked around the village for a bit, looking in the different bookshops and curio shops.

"So how do you think everyone is coming along?" Hermione asked.

Harry thought for a few moments. "Well, I honestly didn't think they would improve as fast as they have. I thought the British way of doing things might have been too ingrained into them to make such a big difference so soon. Especially the twins and Ginny, what with Molly Weasley being the way she is." he reasoned.

Hermione nodded. They continued walking together in silence. Hermione leaned on Harry shoulder and cuddling into his side. They vaguely noticed that Chris and his friends were somewhere farther up the trail, along with the adult Potters, the newest Potter, as well as Lupin and Black. They ignored them and enjoyed their time together, outside of the castle and away from the group. They loved their friends but they liked their alone time together.

They finally just sat at a bench near the center of the village and cuddled into each other. They didn't care who saw them and most in the school knew that. They, along with Luna, were the most apathetic students in the Castle. Most of the students and staff noticed that it was a trait that was slowly being picked up by the others in their small group of friends. They would laugh and smile with each other but beyond their small group of friends, the school knew that they did not care what others thought of them.

After sitting with each other for awhile, they got up to meet with the others for lunch at the Three Broomsticks. Along the way to the pub, the two Ravenclaws said hello to both Potter females, again, Rose was fascinated with Harry's hair and tried to take some of it. Harry smirked and saw a small branch laying on the ground. He picked it up and waved his wand over it. He handed his little sister the finished product and the little toddler giggled and waved the small rattle around. She laughed even more when it changed colors every time she rattled it.

"Wow. You're really good with children Harry. Chris tries to hold her and always ends up giving her right back because she spit up on him or pulled his hair too hard." Lily praised.

Harry shrugged. "Eh. You just need to have patience. I don't mind when she tugs on my hair. Anyway, just wanted to say hi to Rose, we're going to meet with some friends for lunch. I'll see you around Professor."

Lily nodded. She understood that he had to call her that while at school, otherwise he called her Lily. In the beginning, she was upset that he wouldn't call her "mum" but she understood that she had lost the right to be called that so she was just happy that he didn't refer to her as "Mrs. Potter" or the much more formal, "Lady Potter". She watched as he and Hermione walked up the road to the popular pub. She smiled when he wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and she leaned on him. Whenever she witnessed them together and the smile that she brought to Harry's face, it always reaffirmed her vow to always be there for him, in whatever way he needed and she was always remembered that she was indebted to the girl for helping her lost son find happiness.

James, who stood by and watched the conversation was happy that Harry no longer was as rude and cold to Lily and the rest of their family, but at the same time, that emptiness that he felt in himself the Christmas of Chris' first year was still there and he wanted to make it better, he just didn't know how. He watched the two Ravens walk away and saw how close they were. He thought that they could maybe get to know her a bit better. Maybe over the summer he could invite the two of them to the Quidditch World Cup. It would give them time to get to know both the son they lost and the girl who seemed to take up the most of his time and affections.

He and his wife slowly made their way to the Three Broomsticks for lunch. He knew Sirius was around, talking with Moony about how his classes were going. He saw Chris and the boys talking and having fun up the path a bit, closer to the pub, wishing he could see Harry in their group.

X0X0X0X0X0

Harry and Hermione, along with their Slytherin and Hufflepuff friends were laughing and talking, waiting for the two Gryffindor pranksters to meet them for a quick lunch, before they went off with Lee Jordan to plan a prank with their new supply from Zonko's. Finally, they saw the two walk in and head their way.

"What are you planning now?" Hermione asked.

"We have know idea what you are talking about, Hermione." they both said, smiling.

The group rolled their eyes, smirking at the twins' antics. They sat down to have a group lunch and had just gotten their food when there were several loud _POPs_ heard outside. They were quickly followed by screams and loud explosions. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and then to the group. Harry quickly made his way to the window to see what was going on and saw nearly two dozen people with black cloaks on and silver masks. He ran back over to the group.

"Quick! It's the escapees from Azkaban. We need to get the younger kids to the back and get the older ones to guard them." he whispered.

The group, as a whole, nodded and started getting the students that were too scared to do anything into the back of the pub and the older students caught on and took their wands out and, knowing they would just be in the way, they decided to help guard the smaller students. It was completely ignored that all but the twins were part of the "younger students"

Harry sent Hermione a message, via telepathy, _I'm going to go out there as Alex. Stay in here with the students and keep an illusion of me so that no one doesn't suspect anything._

Hermione nodded and sent, _Be careful._

Harry smirked and whispered, "I always am.

With that, Harry went to a dark corner and shifted away.

Outside, the adults were having a difficult time. It seemed that the attackers were all the escaped Death Eaters, only a handful were missing. Lily was desperately trying to find a place to hide, she had Rose in her arms and didn't want her to get hurt. James and the other two Marauders were protecting the two of them and were slowly being forced back, while the other professors and townsfolk were trying to protect the students were out in the street.

James heard a scream and was distracted long enough for a masked attacker to send a cutting towards Lily and Rose. The Marauders looked on in horror as the spell got closer to the two Potter women. All of a sudden, the necklace around Rose's neck glowed and an iridescent shield snapped into place around them. The spell hit the shield and was sent back at the attacker, faster than anyone could react. It hit the Death Eater, slicing his chest open and causing him to drop to the ground, most likely dead due to it hitting above his heart. After it had happened, the necklace again started to to glow and all of a sudden, Rose and Lily were gone in a flash of light. James remembered what Harry had written in the letter and knew Lily and his little girl were safe. He started attacking the other Death Eaters in earnest.

X0X0X0X0X0

Harry shifted to the roof of the pub and disillusioned himself. He quickly transfigured his clothes to a dark grey cloak and grey robes underneath. He paused when he saw that someone had shot a cutting curse at his little sister and he watched as the protections did their work and both mother and daughter were taken to safety. He threw up anti-apparation wards around the town, he didn't have time to modify the portkey wards up to allow help to come. He then conjured white fire and made it appear as if he had flashed in with phoenix fire. He saw that he had their attention and saw that there were still students, out in the town, in various hiding places. He snapped his fingers, causing their clothing to all become portkeys, taking them to the safety of the pub.

He then drew his wand and started sending mixtures of stunners and cutting curses at the attackers. He used his other hand to shield against the spells sent towards him. While this happened, Lily exited from the door to the pub and started sending stunners at the various attackers around the building. Several started sending hexes and blasting curses at the pub, hoping to destroy the building with the students inside. Before the spells could land, the entire front wall rippled and turned to stone, stopping all the spells in their tracks.

That stopped the attackers and defenders, wondering who cast the spell. One Death Eater took that opportunity to confront the disguised Harry. He removed his mask to reveal himself as Lucius.

"Join us! You are powerful and our lord will be overjoyed to have you with him." he shouted.

Harry chuckled and said, "You are a complete idiot, if you think that I will join any of you, let alone your bastard of a master. I was told about you, Lucius Malfoy."

The blonde snarled in anger at the insult to the Dark Lord, then smirked when the stranger had said he had heard of him.

"Oh. And what have you heard?" he sneered.

Harry smiled, "Oh, that if you were to somehow escape from prison that there would be a bounty put on your head for 5,000 galleons." he smirked when Lucius paled, "I know the person that will put the bounty out, he'll like my offer better. I'm much more merciless."

With that, he sent several spells towards the blonde and was rewarded with screams of agony. Lucius was on the ground, missing both his hands hand and his manhood gouged out, only to be burned and cauterized.

After this, a second figure appeared in white flames, next to Harry. She was female with long midnight black hair and violet eyes. He recognized Hermione immediately and smirked over at her.

"Now, what have I told you about banter with idiots?" she said.

Harry smirked. "That it's not helpful and only serves to prove that they are idiots for not attacking me when they have the chance."

He turned back to Lucius and said, "Give my regards to your half-blood bastard of a master and that crazy bitch of a sister-in-law of yours."

With that, he and Hermione conjured up flame and lightning whips in each hand and sent them towards the blonde. He quickly activated his portkey and disappeared before the whips landed. Harry quickly threw up a portkey ward, figuring that if help hadn't showed up yet, they wouldn't. He watched with satisfaction when the other Death Eaters started panicking when their portkeys didn't work. He and Hermione sent a barrage of stunners and concussion hexes towards the rest of the escapees, putting them down for the count.

The defenders breathed a sigh of relief when the last attacker went down. They quickly went to each body and kicked their wands away and stunned them again to be safe. Just as they all thought it was over, they felt a sudden shift in the air. They didn't realize what was happening until the sky was almost completely blotted out by the dementors that were supposed to protect Hogwarts.

Before they could get close, Harry and Hermione both thought of happy memories and sent out their Shadow Magic patroni. Two giant, silver cats, twice the size of the largest lion, shot out of their wands. They started circling the defenders and were soon joined by several other patroni: a Stag, a Doe, a wolf, a grim, tabby cat, a phoenix and a goat. Soon after, several more patroni were seen, shooting out of the small windows of the newly turned stone pub. Another Stag, a tiger, an owl, hare, two coyotes, two lynxes, a fox, and an otter, joined the congregation. Harry and Hermione, recognizing their groups' patroni, shaped an illusion of their own patroni joining the rest. Hermione disappeared back into the pub and Harry kept an illusion of her with him.

Soon enough, the horde of Dementors was sent away by the army of ethereal protectors. Dumbledore quickly made his way to the center of town, where the battle had taken place. With him were professors Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick and several aurors, including Moody, the Longbottoms and Madam Bones. The Headmaster saw Harry and "Hermione" standing on the roof and aimed his wand at him, thinking he was an attacker. James was quick to point out he was, in fact, their savior.

Both Moody and Madam Bones examine the strangers as they apparently floated to the ground after jumping off of the roof. The male flicked his wand and sent a gust of wind that bit at the robes of the assembled wizards and they watched as the front of the Three Broomsticks, which had been turned to stone, seemed to shimmer and the stone flaked off like dust in the wind, leaving the pub in pristine condition.

They turned to Madam Bones and smirked. They bowed their heads to her and Moody and disappeared in white flames, shocking the aurors, professors and townsfolk alike. Right after they had disappeared, the doors to the pub opened and the assembled students came pouring out, now that the danger was past. Harry and Hermione came stumbling out, making sure to have illusions over themselves to show that the spell Hermione cast, with the "help" of Harry, that turned the front wall to stone, left them drained. The effects of the dementors helped in their haggard appearance.

Harry carried his little sister over to Lily and gave her to Lily. He seemed to be very distracted and Lily took note when she thanked him for the pendant he had given to Rose.

"The dementors are why I am so weak and distracted. My mind is-" he paused, "Let's just say that I will be having a lot of sleepless nights for a while." he answered.

Hermione gave him a hug and they walked to sit on a bench, ignoring the others looking at them. The rest of the group walked with them and stood guard while Harry seemed to close his eyes and sleep, sitting up. Those that studied Occlumency could tell that he was meditating and strengthening up his defenses. Madam Bones walked over to Susan and asked what was wrong.

"Whenever dementors are around, they affect him differently, Auntie. They let loose his more troubling memories. He has to get them back under control before he can go back to being normal. It happened at the start of term, back in September. He wasn't normal for the first few days or so."

Hermione added, "That was only about ten dementors, this was nearly a hundred. I doubt that he will be himself for at least a week. And I can guarantee that his boggart is back to being a dementor. Even a Nundu isn't as bad as that many dementors."

Amelia nodded, sadly and went back to interview the other defenders. Everyone had the same thing to say; they talked about a stranger appearing in white flames that started attacking the Death Eaters relentlessly. They described the conversation with Lucius Malfoy and what was said.

Once he heard what was said, Albus immediately said, "I believe the person that who would put a bounty on Lucius' head is the same one who put him in prison. Mr. Daniels warned Lucius that if he got out of Azkaban that he would make sure that he wasn't free for long."

Hermione overheard him and scowled at the old coot. _He can't leave well enough alone can he?_ She saw that Moody, Madam Bones and aurors Potter and Longbottom, along with Lily Potter, Professor Flitwick and Snape were making their way over to them. She gently shook Harry, bringing him out of his meditation. She quickly sent him a the memory of what they were talking about and his eyes flashed for a moment. He was having problems controlling himself at the moment because of the state of his mind and the old man wasn't making it any easier.

"Harry, we need to ask you a few questions." Amelia started.

Harry held a hand up, stopping her from continuing. "Look, I cannot give a memory right now and am having a very hard time controlling my magic. My mind is a mess right now and until I get my memories under control, I can't really do much of anything right now. So what do you need?" he said, gruffly.

The adults were shocked at his appearance and how he seemed to get worse as time went on.

Snape sneered, "Isn't that convenient. You are the only person who would put a bounty on Lucius and yet you are unable to give memories or answer questions."

Harry eyes flashed a bright green and snarled, "You want to go into my mind? Be my guest but I am not responsible for what happens to your mind. I can't control anything right now and it's all on automatic! Anyone going into my mind will experience everything that Ms. Cerina taught me and I won't be able to stop any of it! So why don't you shut the hell up and leave before you say something that gets you in trouble." he momentarily forgot that he had locked Snape's legilimency away.

The other, even those in their group, were shocked at his outburst. Snape even paled slightly.

Moody said, "I'd leave 'em alone Snape. I know Erianna. If she really taught him everything she knows, you will wish for a crucio from You-Know-Who himself. He's barely holding himself back as it is. I suggest that anyone that irritates him, leaves before hurts you or himself."

Hermione held Harry back during his outburst towards Snape, her eyes glowing in anger.

When everyone felt the spike in magic from her as well, they turned to look, Moody said, "Are you having the same problem?"

Hermione said in a strained voice, "Not nearly as bad as Harry. But I am having difficulty with my magic so I would hurry this up. We need to get somewhere alone until we can get our minds back under control. It's safer for everyone."

Amelia nodded, understanding a bit about why they were the way they were. She had met with people with similar issues when it came to the effects of Dementors.

She asked, "Did you threaten to put a bounty on Lucius Malfoy, Harry?"

Harry shook his head, "No. I didn't threaten him with a bounty."

Dumbledore said, "But you did threaten him Harry. This is why you mustn't let your anger get the better of you."

Harry's and Hermione's flashed neon green and a blinding gold color and their auras flashed into the visible spectrum.

When Harry spoke, even his voice was laden with magic. "Stay out of things that do not concern you Albus. It would be healthier for you to leave. Out of all the people in Britain right now, you are the one person that should not be near me right now."

Before anyone else could say anything, there were two flashes of light and Malcolm and Gwen flashed in and landed on Harry and Hermione's shoulders; Malcolm on Hermione's shoulder and Gwen on Harry's.

Harry said through clenched teeth, "Gwen, get Ms. Cerina. I need her. I also need Miku, Malcolm, if you could."

Both phoenixes nodded their heads and flashed away.

Amelia then asked, "What did you say to Lucius, Harry?"

Chris had been watching as Daniels and Granger seemed to be fighting something and even in pain. Before, he would have laughed at their expense but after the fight with the Dementors, he realized that, with that many, Harry was probably going through whatever he did at the beginning of the school year. He got closer and heard Amelia ask her question.

Figuring that he could repay the favor that Harry had done for him, he stepped forward to answer.

"He told Malfoy that if he was thinking of bribing his way out of prison time, that he has a lot more money than him and friends in high places. If for some reason the corrupt institution we call a government let him free, he didn't expect Malfoy to survive long. He put Harry's and his friends at risk, so Harry would make sure he burned."

Harry nodded his agreement, as did Hermione. Before anymore questions were asked, the two phoenixes flashed back with the two they were sent to get.

Anna pushed through the others to get close to Harry. "Harry, listen to me. Close your mind. You need to keep in control of yourself and your magic. Hermione, go into your mindscape and start repairing it."

Miku came forward and hugged Harry and started whispering in his ear. "You don't have to worry about them anymore. You have people who love you and care about you."

Dumbledore exclaimed, "Excuse me! But you are interrupting an investigation here and we must ask you to leave immediately!"

Anna and Miku turned to look at the old man. Anna said, "And who do you think you are? To order me around?"

Albus said, imperiously, "I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." it looked painful for him not be able to claim his old positions.

Anna glared at him, "And I am Erianna Cerina, Mind Master of the American Mages. I trained Harry in mind magics and I know how to help him. I also know that you and him," she pointed to Snape, "have repeatedly tried to get into his mind! As he and Miss Granger are both citizens of the U.S., I could charge both of you with attempted mind assault. I suggest you leave. NOW!"

As she finished, her aura flashed and it was a sight to behold. It was larger than most had ever seen and those around them could felt it's heavy presence. Most people could easily tell that this woman was more powerful than the Headmaster and if she was angered, very little could stop her. Everyone who was standing by and watching was greatly humbled by her power.

Moody barked, "Albus, do us all a favor and listen to someone other than yourself fer once and leave! I'm watchin' these two right now and their control is flimsy at best."

Dumbledore finally saw the wisdom in what they were saying and left quickly.

Miku continued, "I suggest that the Potters, Black and Lupin leave as well. Most of the memories that are loose right now star them."

Just as those mentioned were going to speak, Harry's aura flashed and stayed visible. Those watching, most were just the adults, the other students had gone back to the Castle. His aura looked like the edges were shredded and it moved oddly, if they looked closely, miniscule chains were keeping his aura confined. Anna looked concerned and the others looked on, fascinated by the aura. Most thought that visible auras only manifested in amazingly strong magicals, like Dumbledore and Erianna.

Hermione finally came back to herself and looked at Harry, seeing his face contorted in pain made her think. She closed her eyes and focused her magic on her ears and listened. She heard, what sounded like, a wild animal thrashing against a cage. She focused harder and the sound got more pronounced and she heard two distinctive sounds, fighting for dominance. She opened her eyes and looked at Anna.

"I have an idea, but I need everyone back." she said

She looked Anna in the eye and sent her memory of what she heard and then sent _I need you to perform a slight memory nudge. You don't need to wipe their memories or even change them, just make them forget what they saw of Harry's aura and what they feel of his power. We don't want anyone knowing how strong we actually are._

Erianna nodded. She was hesitant to do it, but knew about the so called "Dark Lord" and how he targeted Harry and his twin when they were babies. She saw Harry's memory of the night and knew about the existence of a prophecy. She knew they needed every surprise they could get. She wandlessly cast an illusion over herself and disillusioned herself and made her way around the people watching. She cast a modified memory charm on each person. The charm wouldn't wipe their memory or leave any traces. Instead, it would nudge their memories away from that particular detail and it wouldn't show up in a Legilimency scan or in a pensieve. It was a technique that she perfected while working on better ways to conceal their world from mundanes.

She knew from telepathy that Moody was following her movements with his eye and sent him a message. She explained why she was doing what she was doing and he understood that it was necessary but said to meet with him before she cast the charm on him. She was glad that nearly all the people watching didn't know what the chains meant. Of them all, only Flitwick, McGonagall, Moody and Madam Bones knew exactly what they meant.

As Anna made her rounds, Harry was slowly gaining control over his fluctuating power. Hermione leaned into his ear.

"You need to let go." she whispered.

"What are you talking about? If I let go, my magic will explode outward and hurt everyone." he replied in a strained voice.

Hermione shook her head, "No. Listen to your magic. You are fighting against yourself. You need to let go and accept the memories as part of you. It's something you never did. That's why, when Dementors are around, the memories overwhelm you. You are fighting against yourself and against a fundamental part of what makes you, you. Accept the part of you that you've denied. No one will ever leave you or think differently of you. I will never leave you. Your friends and family will always love you for who you are. We know who you truly are and will accept you. Nothing you do will ever change that. You are the person that helped me become who I am. For that, I will never leave you and will always be there for you."

Harry didn't say anything for a long time. He thought about what she had said and tried to listen to what his magic was trying to tell him. He went to a quiet place, the last place of solitude in his mind and just listened. He heard his heart beating, he could hear the faint echoes of his memories, trying to overwhelm him, but pushed them away. He focused only on his core and tried to listen. He heard the sound of a wild animal thrashing around in a cage. He heard the sound of conflict; animals fighting each other and men and women arguing. He heard the sound of fear; a faint cry of a small child and a whimpering animal. He heard the sound of survival; an outcry of frustration, hope and joy. He understood that his magic wanted unity and that what Hermione had said was true.

He came back to himself and looked at Hermione and whispered, "Okay. I understand but I need to be alone."

Hermione nodded her understanding and kissed him softly before he shifted away. Amelia and the others were shocked.

"Where did he go?" Amelia asked.

Hermione sighed, "He went to be alone. He figured out what he needed and how to get his magic under control. But he needed to be alone to do it."

Amelia asked, "Why? What did he need to do?"

"Accept his worst memories and past. He thought he was over what happened to him, but he just hid that part of himself away and tried to keep it buried. Even though, eventually they would come back to haunt him until he accepted them. For the most part, he was over it. He no longer hated the Potters but he never accepted that they, in a small part, are responsible for who he is today. The Dementors always rattled the memories and let them loose and he never knew why. He knows now."

She sighed and continued, "Look, ask your questions, I was there when Harry talked to Lucius and know him better than anyone else."

Amelia eyed the girl for a bit and said, "I believe I have my answers. Nothing illegal was said or done on Lord Daniels' part. Threatening someone, but not doing anything is not illegal and as far as we know, as of now, there is no bounty on Lucius Malfoy."

Hermione nodded. "Good. Now, I'm exhausted from fixing my mindscape so I will just head back to the Hospital Wing. I would hope that anything the Headmaster tries to do, with regards to Harry and I will have to go through the Board. I have to say that after this, he will be very upset with us and try anything to try and soothe his wounded ego."

Amelia gave her a wry smile and nodded. "Yes, you can be sure of that. One question though. What did Lord Daniels do when he left? That wasn't apparation."

Hermione answered, "No, it wasn't. It's Harry's own way of traveling. It combines normal apparation with the Goblin and House Elf equivalent. He figured it out when he was young. You'll have to ask him about it, I just know how to do it. It's just instinctual for us."

Amelia nodded. She and the other aurors went back to the Three Broomsticks to ask a few more questions, leaving Miku, Anna, Hermione, the group of their friends and Moody. Hermione motioned for her friends to head back to the castle and that she would be there soon. Flitwick escorted them back and told Hermione that he would like to meet with her when she got back to the castle.

Turning back to Moody and Ms. Cerina, she raised an eyebrow.

Anna explained, "Moody saw what I was doing and had me wait to do him."

Turning to Moody, Hermione waited for an explanation.

"Look missy, I know that you and Daniels are hiding things. I could tell from lookin' at yer auras. I know yer more powerful than you both let on. I don't care about that. I care about putting a stop to dark wizards. I want ter help." the old auror said.

Hermione responded, "Thanks but we don't trust anyone who is with Dumbles. He thinks that only he can guide the boy in the prophecy to his destiny. He is willing to do whatever he wants to achieve his goals. To him, the ends justify the means, as long as he isn't the one doing the dirty work. We don't need that. We want to change things for good. We are willing to do the hard things in life to ensure that the future is better than our present but we also realize that people are not pawns, they are people, with feelings and opinions. And we recognize that some people may have better ideas than we do and may be able to help in ways that haven't realized yet."

Moody nodded, "Aye. Dumbledore's been in the game and in control so long that he's started to believe his own legend. I know that it will take people willing to get their hands dirty to end Voldemort and his followers."

Hermione sighed, tiredly. "Fine. Let's make this easy. Give me an own not to betray us to anyone, be they Dumbledore or anyone else and we may tell you a few things. Until then, we cannot trust you. It's nothing personal but we need every advantage we can get."

Moody nodded and after some thought, swore his oath. He worded it so that he could still help the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix, if it came together again.

"Fine. When Harry gets back, he and I will tell you a few of our secrets but until then, I need to rest." turning to Anna and Miku, she said, "Thank you both for coming. I'll be sure to have Harry write you when he comes back."

"Any time Hermione. Tell him that, no matter what, he will always be my little brother." Miku said, as she grabbed ahold of one of Gwen's tail feathers. The phoenix flashed away, taking Miku back to the U.S.

Ms. Cerina said, "It was good to see you both, even if the circumstances could've been better. Tell Harry to give me an update when he comes back."

She hugged the teenage girl and grabbed ahold of Malcolm. Gwen came back and flashed Hermione to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey let her rest in a bed. She had Madam Pomfrey notify Professor Flitwick she was in the Hospital Wing and if he wanted to speak with her that he would need to go there.

X0X0X0X0X0

Albus paced his office. He couldn't believe that he was dismissed, like an errant schoolboy! How dare anyone think they have the right to demand that I leave! He was Albus Dumbledore, defeater of Gellert Grindelwald and Leader of the Light!

His thoughts were disrupted when there was a knock on his door. He went back to his desk and bade the guest enter. In walked the three Potters, Sirius and Remus.

"Ah, I'm glad that you came. I need to talk to you all about a grave mistake I may have made." he said, his "grandfather" persona going full blast.

Lily said, impatiently, "What is it Headmaster? I've left Rose with Alice and I need to get back to her."

Dumbledore nodded his understanding. He had heard that there was a close call with a cutting curse. He sighed, sadly.

"I believe that I made a grave mistake. After viewing the large display of magic he put off as well as the other instances that I've witnessed his control and magical potential, I believe there is a good chance that young Harry is, in fact, the child in the Prophecy, not young Christopher."

The assembled group gaped at the old headmaster.

Chris sputtered, "But Sir! I've been training and everything to stop You-Know-Who! I'm great at Transfiguration and I even mastered the patronus charm!"

Dumbledore nodded, "I agree. I am not dismissing your abilities, but simply addressing your brother's abilities as well. You are indeed strong for your age, but so is Harry."

After a bit more discussion, the group left the office more confused than when they went in.

Dumbledore sat back in his chair smiling slightly. _There. Now young Christopher will feel a need to prove himself the Boy-Who-Lived and the boy of prophecy. Soon, I'll know exactly who I must guide to defeat Tom. Either way, Harry Daniels will need to be sacrificed for the Greater Good, if what I suspect about the dark magic, I found in his scar all those years ago, is what I believe it is._

X0X0X0X0X0

Harry appeared in a small room with no walls or doors, just a room with hundreds of thousands of runes, engraved on the walls ceiling and floor. He sat down in the center of the small room and centered himself. He slowly released the control that he had on his aura and let his magic loose. He let the memories overwhelm him and lost himself in them, knowing that when he was done, he would finally be free of their haunting pain.

**A/N: So yeah, this one sort of wrote itself. Not to sure how I feel about it but there it is. May have some slight issues with the next update because the cord for my laptop shorted out and the replacement I got won't arrive for a few days. I plan on wrapping this up in the next chapter, maybe in another, depending on if the next chapter writes itself like this one did...**

**I wrote the ending portion in an attempt to add a bit more depth to Harry. Let me know how you all think I did, like I always say, constructive criticism is always welcome. I will be taking the poll off my profile on the 5th next week, but the results, so far, speak for themselves. Thanks for all your input and support.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I only play in the universe. Any ideas that other authors that recognize some of their ideas, I apologize, I have read so many stories that I can't remember where I get some of them. Send me a PM and I will try to give you the credit that you deserve. I appreciate constructive criticism but will ignore any flames you send me. If you don't like the story then don't read it.**

Chapter 9

Harry didn't know how long he had been there. He felt like it had been days but for all he knew, it could have only been minutes since he shifted there and collapsed. He watched as past memories, of his life as a Potter, flashed by, trying to accept what happened to him had happened and had made him who he is. Throughout the memories, he had to relive them as himself, not as though he were in a pensieve. He felt every raw emotion and every physical pang of hunger and loneliness.

At times, he felt it was unbearable and fought to leave the memories but he always heard Hermione's voice, reminding him that no matter how much it hurt, he would never be alone again. Thoughts of her and of Miku and his other adopted family members kept him going, they helped him remain strong and push through the pain when he was ready to give up. During the memories of past Birthdays or Christmases, he felt completely alone, it was a feeling that he had nearly forgotten. During those memories, he felt cold, isolated and it was during these times that he despised the fact that he was a master Occlumense, simply because it gave him an eidetic memory.

He forced himself to sit and watch over and over again, memories of James, Sirius and Remus play with and teach Chris different games. He remembered their third birthday, James had gotten Chris a training broom and would spend hours in the back of the house, flying together. He watched as Sirius would transform into Padfoot and give Chris rides on his back, the last time Padfoot had done that with Harry was when he was three. He remembered the different times that Neville and Ron would come over and would break something while playing in the house and then blame Harry for it. Lily and James would send him to his room and yell at him for not being careful.

Somewhere in the back recesses of his mind, he had a strange thought. _I sure am going to be thirsty when I'm through with this. I'm crying so much that I'll be surprised if I'm not dehydrated._ It was his last thought as he let himself be consumed entirely in the memories, allowing himself to be swallowed up.

X0X0X0X0X0

It had been three days since Harry had disappeared, two since the Minister was forced to recall the Dementors because of their attack on Hogsmeade. And even with her group of friends always around, Hermione had never felt more alone since coming to the magical world. With Luna in Ravenclaw and their other friends in all her classes, they made sure that she wasn't ever alone, but no matter what they did and how much time they spent with her, she always felt like there was a part of herself missing.

_How did he become such an important part of my life so fast? I was alone for so long and now I can't stand it when he's not around._

Even her professors saw a change in her behavior. She was quieter and didn't speak up in class as much. Lily Potter and the Marauders noticed a distinct change in her attitude towards them. She was much more formal towards them and kept her face blank when she spoke to them. They knew she had reason to be and understood her reasons.

Any free time that she had, she would spend out by the lake, meditating and working on her Occlumency. To her, she seemed to spend more time in her mindscape than she did in the real world, but she was fine with that. The nights were the worst because she only slept for a couple of hours. Normally, both she and Harry would sit on a couch in the Room of Requirement, with her head on his shoulder and read together, but she couldn't do that now. Instead, she would simply meditate and change her mindscape slightly, trying different things and seeing if they worked. She felt like by the time he came back, she will have changed her entire mindscape have a dozen times.

She also noticed that the three stooges seemed to watch her more often, particularly the red headed one. She ignored them and continued with her normal routine. She would get up in the mornings and work out with the others in the group, then go to class. During the evenings, she would go with the rest of the group and train in the Room of Requirement. When she sat by the lake, she knew that her friends, the professors, the Marauders and the three Gryffindors watched her to see if she was okay. She ignored them every time and simply set up wards around herself, to alert her if someone approached, and went into her mindscape.

She worried about Harry constantly, hoping that he was coping and getting through the memories. She wanted him to come back, she missed him so much that it almost hurt. She didn't think she would ever feel this way about anyone. She constantly talked with Miku and both her parents via the mirrors that Harry had given them. All three of them always smiled at her oddly whenever she talked about Harry and how she hoped he was okay, as if they knew something that she didn't. It was maddening to her. She just hoped that Harry would come back to her soon so she could be with him again and so he could hold her.

X0X0X0X0X0

It had been exactly a week since Harry Daniels had left. Though, for most of the students, it was not nearly as important as the end-of-the-year exams that were upon them. It was the Saturday before finals and breakfast was a loud affair. Everyone was talking to their friends, hoping to get together in groups to cram for the exams that were happening within the next few days. The older students were worried about their OWLs and NEWTs that were in the next few days. It seemed like the only students that weren't worried was Harry's and Hermione's group of friends.

They were constantly seen in the Library but they never looked rushed or frustrated or even a little panicked. Albus watched them discreetly, trying to find a chink in their armor, trying to find any little problems in their group that he could exploit. He could already tell that the Granger girl was depressed about Daniels not being around. To him, that boy not being around was a God send. He was a constant source of irritation and reminder that he was prone to a few mistakes in his life. He needed to figure out Daniels' secrets! He needed to know who the boy of prophecy was so he could guide him to his destiny, which would grant Dumbledore more sway over the people of the wizarding world because it would be him who trained the defeater of Voldemort. He needed people to believe in him because he needed to set the course of the Wizarding World for the Greater Good.

X0X0X0X0X0

Harry watched as, once again, he was forgotten about for Christmas Dinner. He watched as his _family_ sat around the table with guests and friends; the Weasleys were there, as were the Longbottoms, Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore. No one had even thought to ask where little Harry was. None of them saw him watching the entire thing from the stairs. None saw the copious amounts of tears coming down his face.

Harry was tired of crying. He was tired of being ignored and tired of not being wanted. He was slowly getting to his feet, intent on going back to his room and being ignored for the rest of the night, when he heard a faint whisper. It was so faint that he had to strain his ears to hear it. It was someone speaking. It was so soft and so faint, it touched his ears like the wind ghosting over him. He must have stood there for five minutes, doing nothing but straining his ears, trying to understand the words.

He realized that the longer he stood there, the voice seemed to get stronger. He forgot all about his family and forgot all his troubles as he strained to listen to the voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, like a song heard once, many years before. He recognized it as a female voice. He felt a protective feeling come over him as he heard it. He felt an odd sensation, deep in his gut and his heart would jump in his chest whenever he heard the voice. When he thought about it, he realized that it wasn't the first time he had heard the voice. He had heard it over and over again, during all the worst points in his life.

He heard it again, stronger than before. "I will never leave you and will always be there for you."

He wondered what it meant. She sounded sincere and he wanted, more than anything, to see her. He wracked his mind, trying to remember who the girl was. He caught an image of a curly brown hair and deep, caring, chocolate brown eyes. He heard a laugh that immediately brought a smile to his face and he smelt the scent of vanilla and a hint of peaches.

_Who is she?! I know that I know her, I can't have made her up!_

He heard the whisper again, but this time it was different. It was a different voice, but still female. "You have people who love you and care about you."

When he heard it, he felt a warm feeling envelope him. It was different than before though. It reminded him of what families did, when he went out to Diagon Alley or other public places. He caught the sight of a petite asian girl. Immediately, the name Miku sprang to mind. With that, he started remembering his life after the Potters. He remembered the night he left Potter Manor. He remembered the first time he met Ragnok, Warchief of the Goblin Nation and Director of Gringotts. He remembered his first meeting with the Order of Shadow Walkers and the first time he met Miku, Jammel and the other members of his new family.

When he remembered them, he remembered his first year at Hogwarts and he finally had a name to place with the voice that affected him so. He remembered what caused him to drown himself in his memories and that he was living in them, they weren't real. With that, the world around him faded to black and he jerked awake in an empty room.

"Hermione!"

X0X0X0X0X0

Hermione noticed a slight change in the way the castle felt while she ate her dinner. She didn't know exactly what was different but she felt something in way magic flowed through the castle. A moment later, there was a commotion in the Entrance Hall and she turned to look. Her eyes were drawn to the doors, as they slowly opened, she realized Harry's magic and recognized what it sounded and felt like. She jumped up from her seat, infused her legs with magic and she was in his arms in under two seconds flat.

"I missed you!" she whispered into his neck.

She felt him smile into her neck as he inhaled her scent.

"I missed you too Mione. It took me awhile, but I finally figured it out."

He raised his head as he felt several others getting closer and saw that it was the rest of their friends. They all greeted him with pats on the back for the guys, and hugs from the girls. They talked a bit more, ignoring the rest of the Great Hall, who were staring at the group.

Finally, Harry said, "Okay guys, I don't know about you, but the last meal I had was at the Three Broomsticks. So, I need to eat."

Susan asked, "How did you get by on nothing to eat?"

"My magic kept me strong while I was in the memories. Now I need to eat real food." he explained.

The others nodded and they made their way back to the Ravenclaw table, where they all sat down and began their meal again. Hermione had latched onto Harry's arm and refused to let go of him the entire time. Finally, Harry mentally nudged her and let her into his mind and she dove into it, letting go of him physically and instead, mentally held onto him.

A little while later, after explaining a bit about why he was gone to the few that were brave enough to ask, Harry noticed both Aurors, Professors Potter, Flitwick, Lupin, Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore walking towards him. He sent a mental nudge to the others in the group and as one, they all turned to look at the approaching party. Harry simply rolled his eyes and stood up, Hermione followed and latched onto his arm again.

"Mr. Daniels, could we speak with you?" Professor Flitwick asked.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away.

"I'll see you guys later." he nodded to the group and led Hermione out of the Great Hall.

They walked to the antechamber off to the side of the Great Hall.

Once everyone was inside, Dumbledore said, "Miss Granger, please excuse us but we need to speak with Mr. Daniels alone."

He waited for her to leave the room and when she didn't he realized that she wasn't even looking at him.

Ignoring the question, Harry asked one of his own. "I want to know why whenever you try to talk with me, you always bring three Heads of House? I mean, I understand Professor Flitwick, he's my Head of House and Professor McGonagall is Deputy Headmistress, so I understand her as well, but not Snape. I mean, besides the two hours of hell he puts us through for class, I never speak with him and I really don't even recognize that he exists. Why do you choose to leave Professor Sprout out? Especially when I respect her much more than him."

Snape snarled at him but Harry completely ignored him.

Dumbledore said in a chiding tone, "Now Harry, you must respect _Professor_ Snape." completely ignoring the question and putting emphasis on Snape's title.

Harry, again, shrugged and said, "No I don't. He doesn't respect anyone else, let alone me. Hell he doesn't even really respect you. He only follows your lead because he knows that the minute he is no longer under your protection, the aurors will have him in custody and he will be well and truly up shit creek without a paddle."

The adults had no idea how to respond to that statement and the Marauders were barely standing up, they were laughing so hard. Through it all, Harry and Hermione stood there, looking unperturbed.

Finally, Dumbledore cleared his throat uncomfortably and said, "Yes, well, that is your opinion, in my opinion, Professor Snape has my utmost trust."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yes, well, that's all well and good for you, but that's kind of selfish don't you think? I mean, I thought that only thinking about yourself is sort of the thing the Headmaster of a school _isn't_ supposed to do. Aren't you supposed to think of your students, and what's best for them? Because if you are, you're doing a very poor job of it."

Dumbledore sputtered and said, "Of course I think of the students! Professor Snape is the youngest Potions Master in the world and the best in Britain!"

Harry waited for a moment, then said, "Yeah... and? I mean it's great that he's good at Potions, but what does that have to do with students? It doesn't matter if he was the "Merlin" of Potion making, if he can't teach the subject, then, as a teacher, he's as useful as teats on a boar hog. And if you'd pay attention, then you would know that he is the best in Britain because Britain hasn't produced even five Potions Masters in the last thirteen years."

Both Harry and Hermione were laughing on the inside at the colors that Snape and Dumbles were turning and the expressions on the other adults' faces.

Harry continued, "Anyway, sorry, you got me off on a tangent. Back to what I wanted to say, if you get to have Snape, who has no business being here, present, then I get to have Hermione here. Simple as that." After he thought about it, "Actually, you can't even be here. The Charter is still in effect, therefore you're violating it right now."

Hermione, playing along said, "What happened to the last Headmaster that violated the Charter, Harry?"

Harry smirked, "He lost his magic because when he signed on to be the Headmaster, he signed a magically binding document to uphold the Charter to the best of his ability."

They both turned to Dumbledore and Harry said, "By all means, stay here as long as you want Headmaster. It should be a good show."

Both Ravenclaws looked at the Headmaster eagerly and waited. Dumbledore, with anger and frustration clouding his judgement, quickly left the antechamber, Snape following.

Harry chuckled, "I can't believe he fell for that!"

Flitwick asked, "You mean that it wasn't true?!"

Harry shook his head, "Oh, no. It's true that a Headmaster signs a magically binding document when he or she becomes Headmaster or Headmistress, but the only thing that will happen if he violates it, at least a small part of it, like he just was, he would just lose his job."

McGonagall asked, flabbergasted, "Then why did he leave?"

Harry smirked, "Because he was too angry and frustrated with me, because I refuse to bow to his _greater wisdom_. It clouded his judgement and he left before he realized that what I had said was false. Anyway, what's up?"

The adults looked at the two Ravenclaws in astonishment.

Flitwick asked, "Why are you Ravenclaws? Why aren't you in Slytherin?"

Harry shrugged, "I told the hat that I wanted to be in the same House as Hermione. It said that I could have been in any House. Remember what I said in the Great Hall?"

The others nodded, remembering the conversation between him and Daphne Greengrass.

McGonagall cleared her throat and said, "Yes, well. We asked you in here to ask what have you been for the last week?"

Harry sighed, "I was in a special room that I had the Goblins design for me, with my help. I knew that there could possibly be times where I needed to go and vent my magic. It is completely sealed, there is no way, in or out. Not even Portkeys or apparation can get in. Only by shifting can someone get in. I went there and let the memories I was fighting, overwhelm me. I relived them until I got over them completely."

Lily gasped, "You relived everything?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah. I had all those memories under lock and key and I let them out and they swallowed me whole. For a time, I even forgot myself and was completely immersed in the memories, not remembering that I left at all or had a life outside of the Potters."

Lily said, with tears rolling down her cheeks, "I'm sorry you had to relive that."

Harry shrugged, unconcerned. "Eh. I needed to. Now, they don't bother me anymore. I could go back to the day at Hogsmeade and the Dementors would affect me, slightly less than everyone else because I've accepted the worst of my memories. Not many people can accept their worst memories, that's why I would be affected less than others."

Turning back to Flitwick and ignoring the Potters, Remus and Sirius, he said, "Anyway. I'm back and I'll be here until the end of term. I'm all set to go for my exams so I'll be fine."

Nodding, Flitwick and McGonagall dismissed them and the couple left to spend some time alone. Together, the two Ravenclaws walked around the castle and finally made their way down to the lake.

"So what did you do while I was gone?" Harry asked, after a while.

Hermione sighed before answering. "Nothing really. I was too worried about you. Ask anyone, I really was in my mindscape a lot last week. I probably rearranged it at least fifteen times. I didn't really do anything else, I know for sure that the others were worried about me."

Harry smiled sadly and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry I worried you. But to be honest, the only reason I came back when I did, was because of you."

Hermione looked at him, questioningly and he explained everything that had happened to him. An hour after the start of their conversation and Hermione had her head buried into Harry's chest, her tears drenching his shirt. She was sad that he had to go through all of his worst memories without anyone there to help him get through it. She cried even harder when he shared his memory of what happened at the end of the ordeal. She cried in both happiness and sadness. Happiness, because even though she hadn't been there physically, she was still able to help him, and sadness, because he didn't have anyone during his time in his memories and would have most likely been trapped in them, if not for her.

After a while of silence, Hermione pulled Harry's mind into her memories of the past week so he could catch up on what had been going on around the school. Harry watched the memories fly by and felt a bit sad at the hurt he had caused Hermione but she quickly brushed it aside and assured him that she would have been worried about him regardless. Eventually, they went back into the castle to find their friends and help other students prepare for the upcoming exams.

X0X0X0X0X0

The week of exams was stressful for everyone in the castle, including the professors. The upper years were under a lot of stress and easily snapped at each other as well as the younger students because of their OWLs and NEWTs. Most knew they shouldn't take their anger and frustration out on the other students and would eventually apologize but were too busy to do so, or care, during exams. The younger years were stressed as well, but not nearly as much and some of the less studious students didn't bother to worry.

Harry, Hermione and their group of friends helped anyone that asked for their help. It didn't matter if they were older students or younger. It was common knowledge that both Harry and Hermione knew more than the average witch or wizard their age.

A few people asked Harry where he was the previous week but he only gave the vaguest of answers and eventually people understood that he didn't want to talk about it. Snape tried to give him detention for missing school but because of his probation, Flitwick had to sign off on the punishment and refused. The Potions exam for Ravenclaw was nearly unbearable after that. Snape seemed to go after them with as much fury as he did Gryffindor. He couldn't take any points but he hovered and at the simplest mistake, he would vanish the potion of any Ravenclaw student and force them to start over again.

Luckily, most Ravenclaws could brew the potions they had to, for the final, with ease and no matter what Snape did, they all passed. Potions was really the only exam that posed a problem for anyone. With Harry, Hermione and their group's help, anyone who studied with them, felt they did well on the exams.

During the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, Hermione's prediction that Harry's boggart was, again, a dementor, was proven false. He was once again faced with a Nundu, while Hermione's boggart was a surprise. It had changed since the beginning of the year and was now a dead Harry. Since the exams were separate and were between student and professor, Lupin promised to keep it from anyone else, Hermione assured him that she didn't care if others found out, she was okay with it. She managed to defeat the Boggart by dumping a bucket of water on it and forcing it to have a high pitched, girly voice when it shouted in surprise.

The night after the last final, Harry and Hermione were, once again, alerted to the fact that Chris and the two other stooges were again out of the castle. They pulled out Harry's map and saw that they were making their way to the edge of the Forbidden forest. Looking towards where they were headed, they saw the name _Peter Pettigrew_ slip off the edge of the map. The name was in green ink so they knew he was in his rat form.

"I smell a trap." Harry said.

Hermione nodded and replied, "I do too, and the idiots are walking straight into it."

Harry sighed, "Why do they have to do this crap at night? I mean, if we had to sleep normal hours, we would be beyond tired in the mornings with the amount of times we have saved their asses."

Hermione nodded and Harry continued, "Well, I'll send a message to Lily and let her know, then we'll go. Go in our Hogsmeade forms."

Hermione nodded and went up to her dorm to change into the basilisk armor and cloak.

X0X0X0X0X0

Chris Potter sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, deep in thought. _How could the Headmaster think that Daniels is the Boy-Who-Lived? I'm the one that got all the special training from Padfoot, Moony, Mum, Dad and Dumbledore himself! Besides, they told me that Daniels didn't show much magic when we were younger, that I was always doing the accidental magic. Sure, he's good at magic now, but I'm the one that got all the training to eventually beat Voldemort! Their wrong, I know it and I'll prove it to them._

Ron and Neville had noticed something was wrong with their friend, ever since the attack in Hogsmeade. He had gone to a meeting with the Headmaster and his parents and come back quiet, and at times he would get angry for reasons only known to himself. During the week Daniels was missing, they had noticed that he seemed more confident, but when Daniels came back, Chris had gone back to being quiet. They had watched Granger walk around, depressed the whole week and knew it was because Daniels wasn't around but they didn't know where he had gone.

All of a sudden, both boys were brought out of their thoughts when Chris gasped and sat up quickly.

"Look guys!" he pointed to the map, "It's Pettigrew! He's on the grounds."

They looked at each other and nodded, "Let's go get him." At first Ron and Neville were hesitant but then they thought about who they would look, bringing the betrayer of the Potters into custody. They thought back to the times that the Marauders had talked about how Pettigrew hadn't been a very good wizard when they knew him. They figured that with three of them, they could easily take time, especially with all the training that they had gotten from the Marauders, Lily and Dumbledore. With that, they ran upstairs and got the invisibility cloak and made their way out onto the grounds. They followed the map and slowly made their way into the forest. They were cautious because it was the Forbidden forest but they weren't going to let it stop them.

X0X0X0X0X0

James Potter, aka Prongs and Sirius Black, aka Padfoot were keeping their friend and fellow Marauder, Remus Lupin, aka Moony, during the full moon. During the transformation, they realized that something was wrong with the Wolfsbane Potion he was supposed to have taken. Before he lost the ability to speak, Lupin let them know that he hadn't taken the night's dose because they hadn't gone back to his office, where it was sitting on his desk, after they had been talking about training Chris and the boys with Lily.

The news didn't shock them too much. They had dealt with Moony before the potion was invented so they didn't see any problems. Like most nights they spent with him, it was quiet, they had to again, show the wolf that they were in charge, since it had been a while, but it was easy for them, their animagus forms were large and easily beat back the wolf. After that, they kept their friend company.

After about a couple of hours, being cooped up in the Shrieking Shack, they decided that it would be okay for them to explore the forest a bit, since Moony was getting restless and they had done it before, during their school days. They quietly made their way to the forest and slipped inside without letting anyone hear or see them.

X0X0X0X0X0

Wormtail quickly made his way back to the clearing in the forest, once he saw the castle doors open. He knew when he didn't see anyone, that he had gotten the attention of the boys and they were taking the bait.

Once back in the clearing, he transformed back. "They are on their way. I saw the castle doors open and no one came out so they are using the cloak."

He shivered when he saw the smile on Bellatrix's face. She said, "When they get here, take the Potter brat. I don't care about the Weasley, but I want Longbottom. I have a score to settle with his parents. Now, Wormtail, go back to our master. Relieve McNair, you are useless to us."

Peter sniveled and nodded in fear. Then he disapparated and a few seconds later, there were three other _Pop_s that signalled the other Death Eaters were there.

"What are you doing here! You should be caring for our master!" Bellatrix sneered

Lucius Malfoy, with new silver hands that his master had given him, sneered back at his sister in law, "Our Lord has told us that we are to assist you. He has stated that he only needs Wormtail to protect him. He has another servant as well, but he will not tell us who he or she is. He does not wish to bring attention to himself by having too many of us with him. We are to bring the Potter brat to him when we have him and then he will give us more instructions."

Bellatrix snarled but accepted the orders. From there, they sat and waited. Their trap was laid, now they needed their prey to spring it on.

X0X0X0X0X0

Lily Potter was grading her fourth year exams. She had one of the elves taking care and watching over Rose. She was just finishing up her second to last exam when there was a knock on her door. She opened it to reveal her favorite professor as a student.

"What can I do for you Professor Flitwick?" she smiled.

"Lily." Filius chided, "What have I told you? We're colleagues now, please call me Filius."

Lily smiled slightly, "I'll try. Now, what can I do for you?"

"I hope I didn't wake you, I just thought you would like to know that Mr. Daniels has, again, passed my final with flying colors." he smiled.

Lily smiled brightly. "That's great! Thank you for letting me know. I know that I will never be his mother but I can still be proud of him as a mother."

Flitwick smiled slightly, he was still disappointed in his former student for treating her son the way she had. But Harry had spoken to him a bit about it and he understood, as Harry did, why she had done the things she had done, even if he doesn't agree with it. If Harry held no grudge towards his former family, then he had no right to, it wasn't he that was wronged. They continued to talk a bit more, mostly about Harry and Hermione and their class standing.

As Flitwick was getting ready to leave, back to his office, there was a flash of white light and they were greeted by a ghostly white raven.

It opened it's beak and they heard Harry's voice. "Your idiot son has decided to go off with his idiot friends and confront Pettigrew in the Forbidden forest. Thought you ought to know. Since my help wasn't welcomed last time, I'll leave it up to the adults, _who know better than I do._" his last statement was dripping with sarcasm.

The two professors looked at each other, then rush out of the room, towards the Headmaster's office.

X0X0X0X0X0

Harry and Hermione got their armor on, then changed their appearance and shadow walked to the edge of the forest. They waited in the shadows for the three stooges to show up.

Finally, they noticed the three Gryffindors coming towards them under the cloak. Harry chuckled as he imagined telling them that their invisibility cloak wasn't so invisible to them. Once the three passed their hiding spots, they quietly followed behind them, walking silently and in the shadows. They watched, amazed at their stupidity as the three spoke in hushed tones, but were still heard in the silence of the forest. They put up a few wards to keep the more dangerous animals in the forest away from the small group.

They finally made their way to a clearing in, well into the forest. At first glance, there didn't seem to be anyone or anything in the clearing, but that was quickly proven false as a large group of people in black cloaks made themselves visible. Immediately, the three Gryffindors, as well as the two hidden Ravenclaws saw that every single person had a silver mask covering their faces.

Chris spit out, "Death Eaters!"

They quickly turned around to run back to the castle when they came face to face with Bellatrix.

"Ah ah ah, Potty. Our Master wants to speak with you."

The insane Death Eater jerked her head, and three masked Death Eaters immediately grabbed the three Gryffindors. Bellatrix cackled and laughed, and went on about how she was going to enjoy torturing Neville before killing him and sending his body back to his family. Finally, Harry and Hermione had enough and slowly stepped out from behind the trees.

"You know," Harry drawled, "It isn't wise to dilly dally around when you're trying to kidnap someone." The Death Eaters snarl and turn as one, towards the newly revealed strangers.

Bellatrix growled, "Who are you!?"

Harry and Hermione smirked, "Oh, we're no one important. We were just in the neighborhood and heard, what sounded like a wounded jackal or something. But don't worry, that was just you. Say Lucy, how's the hands? And the balls?."

Hermione giggled, "Don't you mean, 'lack of' dear?"

Harry chuckled and agreed. Lucius snarled when he realized who the two were. The other Death Eaters shifted nervously when they, too, realized these were the two strangers that took care of the attackers in Hogsmeade a few weeks before.

"Anyway, we thought we would show up and help out these idiots. We got word they were being stupid, like trying to go after a Death Eater that was clearly leading them into a trap." Harry pointed to the three Gryffindors.

The three students were to afraid to retort, instead, Chris settled for a steady glare. Without anyone looking, Malfoy unsheathed a poisoned knife and sent it towards Harry. With surprising skill, he caught it, spun it around his hand a few times, then threw it back at the blonde so fast that many couldn't track it with their eyes. There was a dull _thud_ and Malfoy gasped in pain as it embedded itself in his shoulder.

Harry said, casually, "Be glad I removed the poison from it. Otherwise you'd be in big trouble." going for some misdirection on both Voldemort's part and Dumbles' part, Harry said, "You shouldn't try and play with the big leagues. You, Death Eaters are minor league compared with us. And that's just the inner circle. The others are like school children."

A few seemed to understand the references in the insult and snarled at them.

Hermione said, lazily, "My, God. Are you all animals? Can't you do something other than snarl like rabid dogs?"

Before anyone could say anything, Harry threw up a shield around the three students and shielded himself against the three Lestranges and Malfoy. The other Death Eaters went after Hermione. The two groups exchanged spellfire for a few minutes with Harry taking care of Rabastan with a throwing knife to his shoulder and a well placed crushing curse at his legs. He wandlessly sent the Death Eater's wand to the ground, next to the three Gryffindors. Next, he took care of Malfoy, again, cutting his new, shiny arms off and blasting him into a tree. He downed Rodolphus with conjured ropes and strung him up from a tree. He was lucky that he was wearing his basilisk armor because Bellatrix's piercing hex nailed him right in his left ribs. He finally got her by placing an illusion of himself, still dueling her and made his way around to her back. He calmly tapped her on her shoulder and when she swung around, he got her with a strong right hook mixed with an overpowered stunner.

Hermione fared much better and ended her duel with the remaining four Death Eaters with most sporting nasty looking cuts and two of the men looked to be in as much pain as Lucius was after Harry was done with him at Hogsmeade. Harry summoned all of their wands, including their spares and conjured name tags for each Death Eater that had carried them.

As he was just setting the wands down and Hermione had untied the three students, there was movement to their left. As one, all five heads snapped towards it. There, slowly making their way into the clearing was a magnificent stag, a large black dog, that closely resembled a grim and following behind them was what could only be a werewolf. As soon as the werewolf spotted them, it lunged forward before the other two animals could react.

It was met by large, black wolf, just over twice the size of the grim. The wolf snarled and threw the werewolf to the side and backed it into a corner, away from the humans.

Hermione calmly said, "You can change back now, aurors. He can take care of Lupin."

James quickly changed back and ran to the three boys, "What's going on here! Who are you people?"

Hermione calmly said, "Who we are is not important, what we are doing here is saving these three from their own foolishness. They decided they wanted to be the ones to catch a Death Eater and decided to do it alone. No, be silent idiot." she said, interrupting Chris' retort. "We were just making your jobs easier by labeling who these wands belonged to. Here you go." she handed the assortment of different wands over to the head auror.

As she did, another group of people burst through, into the clearing. It consisted of Professors Potter, Flitwick, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape.

Taking stock of the situation; the large group of Death Eaters in chains on the ground, some missing body parts, Dumbledore demanded, "What is going on here!?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I've already explained it to him. Obviously, if you can't get the gist of the situation, then you are beyond the age you should be working as a teacher."

The others are left gaping at the stranger's insult the Headmaster. They heard a strange _woofing_ sound come from a little ways away and see a wolf standing guard over a werewolf. They quickly realized that the animal was laughing at what had been said.

Finally, Sirius changed back from Padfoot and went over to the group, satisfied that they were no longer in danger.

Snape immediately sneered, "Black, it was so nice with you in your natural form, please do not change for the rest of us."

Before Sirius could respond, there was a loud growling and snarling from the werewolf. The large wolf snapped at Moony and he was silenced.

Hermione drawled, "I suggest that you keep your leash on your Death Eater, Dumbles. Otherwise, my friend may lose interest and let Lupin loose."

Snape blanched and Dumbledore shot a sharp look at the strange woman. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Hermione chuckled, "Ah, well, like I told Potter, who I am is not relevant. As for why I'm here, well.."

At this, the wolf transformed back into a man, he quickly sent a massively overpowered stunner at the werewolf and then caused a large metal cage to form around the sleeping beast, made out of transfigured dirt and wood.

Ignoring the stares he got for the impressive display of magic, Harry said, "Why we are here is because we heard that a few idiots needed help and we decided to help. That's it. Now, we will take our leave."

As he finished, he made his way to Hermione and they saw that Dumbles' eyes were twinkling.

The old man said in mock sadness, "I am afraid that I cannot allow that. I have a few questions you you and you left so rudely last time. Who are you, and how you seem to know when to show up, just in time?"

As he finished, he threw up powerful anti-portkey and apparation wards.

Harry laughingly said, "You don't need to know who we are. For one, you're just not that important enough for us to tell you and two, we don't very much like you. We're going to play your game. We're only going to tell you what you need to know."

Hermione piped up and said, "Ask Harry. If he want's to tell you, then he can. While you're at it, tell him, 'you're welcome' from us. And to only send us half the agreed amount. Call it a discount for friends and for letting us piss you off. If our help isn't wanted, then we will not help anymore, we'll only do what we are paid to do. This was free and it seems like we aren't wanted so we'll just sit back and watch next time." she finished, smirking.

Harry scolded, "Now Mr. Dumbledore, it isn't nice to try and trap us after we just helped you out. If we didn't know any better, we would say that those are a bit like Death Eater tactics. But because we know better, we'll go with the actions of a spoiled child not getting what he wants and throwing a temper tantrum."

Hermione, ignoring the looks of astonishment and outrage on the people watching them, said thoughtfully, "Actually, if you think about it, isn't that what the whole last war was about? One man, mad at the world for the way his life turned out and throwing a tantrum about it?"

Both smiled cheekily and waved goodbye as there was a loud _SNAP!_ as the two strangers broke through Dumbledore's wards. At the same time, Dumbledore gasped in pain and staggered back. With that, the two outsiders disappeared in a swirl of white flames.

Not two minutes later, Amelia Bones and four aurors; Gawain Robards, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks and Moody, along with the two Longbottoms apparated into the clearing, wands out. They saw the clearing and the group of people standing off to the side. Amelia quickly took charge, handing out different assignments to the three aurors with her. She allowed James and Sirius see to Chris, as well as the Longbottoms see to their son. Moody took control of the different wands that were labeled and started to walk through the Death Eaters, assuring himself that they were all secure.

X0X0X0X0X0

Harry and Hermione Shadow Walked back to their separate trunks and removed their armor and put back on their normal sleep wear. Afterwards, they went back down to the Common Room and took out their books to read. They knew they would eventually get called into the Headmaster's office, so they just stayed up and read their respective books; Harry's was on the art of Warding and Hermione's was on Enchantments.

About 45 minutes after they had gotten back to the Common Room, Hermione said, "Harry, this book has me wondering. How many true enchanters are there in the world?"

Harry thought for a few moments, "Well, I don't know an exact number, but it can't be that many. I know that one works for the Mages and contracts out to the Research Department at M.I.T. Other than that, I don't know any. None are with the Walkers. We mostly rely on people with skill in engraving Runes into objects. The difference between the two is that, enchantment is completely permanent. Carving Runes into things and powering them is not considered permanent because the Runes can be scratched out or fade after a long enough time."

Hermione nodded. She knew this. During her studies, she had learned that Enchantment is the art of weaving strands of magic into something. Effectively tying the magic to the object for eternity. The only way an enchanted item could be disconnected from the magic was if a more skilled enchanter came along and undid the work.

Hermione voiced her thoughts. "From what you described after second year and from what I've read, the diary was enchanted and that would mean that Riddle would have been an enchanter, right?"

Harry tilted his head to the side and thought for a few minutes. Just as Hermione was about to say something, he spoke up.

"No, I don't think so. What I unraveled wasn't a weaving of magic. It was more like a tangled mess of cords. It was like the diary did everything it could to tie it's existence to whoever wrote in the diary. It wasn't enchantment, it was a very poor imitation of it."

Hermione nodded her understanding, then asked another question. "Then, to enchant something, one would have to have knowledge of the temple, right? Because it seems like it is very similar to what they do with the currents of magic."

Harry, again, shook his head. "No, not really. I mean, the two things are similar and to learn how to manipulate and create flows and currents of magic like that would be very useful to an enchanter, they really only need the basic knowledge to see and manipulate currents of magic already in existence, like what we were taught."

Hermione nodded. "So we are already well ahead of other enchanters because we can do that?"

Harry smirked and nodded. "Yup. It also helps immensely in Warding because you can permanently enchant a wardstone to keep the power growing over time. And it would help in making wards where it isn't as magically rich as other areas; where there aren't Ley Lines around for miles. If done correctly, the wards could be completely impenetrable because as someone is trying to bring them down, the enchanted wardstone would continue to draw magic to keep the wards powered. But to enchant something like a wardstone would only be taken on by a Master Enchanter. There are only a few in the world that would even attempt something like that."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Because a ward stone must have runes already carved into it that allow it to absorb magic, to power the wards. The kind of magical currents that would need to be tied to it would have to be massive. It would be like working with Ley Line magic without a staff."

Hermione, remembering what she knew about the different types of focuses, blanched at imagining working with them without anything between herself and the pure magic of the Ley Lines.

They talked a bit more about Warding and Enchanting until finally, Professor Flitwick stepped through the entrance of the Common Room.

He seemed surprised at first that they were awake. "Goodness! Mr. Daniels, Miss Granger! What are you two doing up at such a late hour?"

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and turned back. Harry said, "This falls under your oath Professor." Flitwick nodded seriously, wondering what his oath had to do with their sleeping habits. "We don't sleep all that much because of a combination of some of our meditations and our Occlumency."

Hermione continued, "Actually, everyone in our group doesn't sleep much because of the same reasons. We all usually just stay in our beds and do homework or read a book but since we knew that you would be coming, we decided to stay down here to make it easier and not wake any of our roommates up."

Flitwick nodded, understanding and said, "Well, we have managed to stall the Headmaster until morning so please report to my office at 9am tomorrow- well, later today."

Harry and Hermione nodded their understanding and wished the Charms Master a good night's sleep. After he had left, they went back to reading for a bit. After a while, Hermione gestured with her hand towards the stairs and set up alert wards at the top of the stairs to let them know when someone was coming. Then did the same with the Common Room entrance. Afterwards, she closed her book and leaned into Harry's side and snuggled into him, getting comfortable. Harry just chuckled and wandlessly summoned a blanket from the other side of the room and covered them both with it. He gently kissed Hermione's forehead and closed his eyes.

As an extra precaution, he put a Notice-Me-Not ward around the whole couch, along with a confundus at the bottom of the stairs to make anyone coming down, want to immediately head down for breakfast and not hang around.

X0X0X0X0X0

Both Harry and Hermione were awakened a couple of hours later as light shone through the windows. Hermione had obviously liked using Harry's chest as a pillow and had wrapped her arms completely around his torso. Harry had his hands running through Hermione's hair, almost making her purr in contentment. Finally, as they felt the wards alert them to someone coming down the stairs, they slowly got up.

Just as they had banished the blanket back to it's original spot, across the room and gotten their books back out, acting as if nothing was amiss, Luna came walking down the stairs. They both sighed in relief that they wouldn't have to answer any odd questions.

Luna smirked at them, "Well, you two sure are up early. Though you both look like you just woke up. So my question is, how was your night? The couch comfy? Or was Harry more comfy, Hermione?"

Both third years blushed but Hermione smiled back. "Harry was much more comfy than the couch and much warmer than the blanket."

Luna just smirked at the couple and giggled slightly. She waited while the two of them went up to their dorms to change into their workout clothes. Once done, they all went down and met with the rest of the group to begin their workout.

Towards the end, Daphne asked, "So how do you all think exams went?"

Harry shrugged, "Mine went like they always do. The only exam that was irritating was History of Magic."

The others nodded their agreement. With all the training and extra books that Harry and Hermione had given them, their other classes were a breeze. Besides Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, History of Magic and Potions, they were all fairly far ahead of their classmates, both in theory and practical. Between Hermione's help with the theory side and Harry's help with the practical side, they all were confident that they could have passed in their sleep. Even in Care, Potions and Herbology, they were decently far enough ahead to not have to worry about those classes.

Ginny said, "I think my brother and Chris are more worried about whatever happened last night than what mum and Mrs. Potter will say about their poor grades, but it is pretty close to a tie between the two. I saw them this morning when I came down, they were so out of it and worried that they didn't even try and stop me from meeting you guys today. Usually I have to fight with them until I threaten them, then they usually leave me alone. Neville got the hint after the first time and he stays out of it."

Harry nodded, he knew that Longbottom was probably the smarter of the three stooges. He checked the time and saw that if he and Hermione were going to make it to Flitwick's office on time, and still have a decent breakfast, they needed to head up to have time to shower beforehand. As the group headed back up, the two Ravenclaws explained a bit about what happened the night before.

X0X0X0X0X0

Once Harry and Hermione had made it to Flitwick's office, they were immediately led to the Headmaster's office. Once inside, they were met with the sight of the three Gryffindors, Aurors Moody, Potter, Black and Longbottom, as well as Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Potter and a tired looking Professor Lupin. Alice Longbottom was there as well, along with the Weasley parents. Flitwick conjured the two students a seat and took his own seat with the other Professors. Dumbledore nodded to them when they sat down and started the meeting off. "

"Please explain to us what you were doing out in the forest last night." he asked the three Gryffindors.

Chris nervously started, "Well, I was watching a map that my dad and his friends made me before school," Lily shot James a scowl while the Senior Potter winced at the information that was revealed, but didn't say anything as his son continued, "As I was looking at it, I noticed Pettigrew's name on the grounds."

"And you just decided to go after him on your own?" Lily asked, angrily.

Chris winced at the tone, but shook his head, "No, we figured that with the training that we had from you guys, we could take him. I remembered all the stories that you and dad had told about your school days and how Pettigrew wasn't that good with spells and a weak wizard. We thought we could take him, we didn't know that there would be a group of Death Eaters waiting for us."

Neville nodded his agreement. "We didn't think he would be much of a problem and that we could bring him back to the castle for Prongs or Padfoot to arrest."

Ron added, "You guys have said that we are doing great in the training that you've been giving us."

The adults sighed, James said, "Be that as it may, you are just students. No matter how weak he was as a student, he isn't one now, he is a fully trained wizard and a Dark wizard at that. You should have told someone."

Lily continued, "We didn't give you that training so that you would seek out a fight, we did it so that if you were ever put into a situation where you needed to fight, you would know how."

They talk a bit more about the confrontation with the Death Eaters and what had happened before they had arrived. Finally, it had come to Harry's and Hermione's part in the events of the previous night.

Flitwick started by asking, "What exactly do you two know about what happened last night?"

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and shrugged before Harry said, "We know enough."

Hermione added, "We didn't really learn anything new this morning, if that answers your question."

Flitwick nodded and turned back to the others in the meeting.

"How did you two know to inform Professor Potter about young Christopher, Neville and Ronald needing help?" Dumbledore started off.

Harry looked surprised, "I didn't say they needed help. I just told her that they were going off to chase Pettigrew. Since my help was unwanted last year, I decided to leave it in your _capable_ hands."

Hermione snorted at his sarcasm. The other professors and adults scowled slightly at the reminder of the end of the previous year.

Lily, remembering something from the night's events, said, "The two individuals that helped last night said to tell you 'You're Welcome' and that to only send half the fee. He called it a discount for friends and..." she left the last part unfinished.

Moody picked it up, "He said it was a discount for friends and for letting them piss off Albus."

Harry and Hermione smiled, "I'll have to send a letter telling that I'm glad I could be up help and glad they enjoyed the entertainment."

Scowling, Albus said imperiously, "Yes, and who were they? I, as Headmaster of this school, must know for your safety and the safety of the other students." as he finished, he sent a compulsion towards the couple from under his desk.

Both Ravenclaws rolled their eyes and Harry said scathingly, "I doubt that. You're just angry that you don't know something. And I will warn you only one time. DO NOT! send compulsions charms at us. They won't work and will just make us angry." Hermione agreed with a scowl.

The other adults looked angered by the Headmaster's attempt on his students.

Harry continued, "As for who they were, did you honestly believe that I would come back to Britain without someone to watch my back? Or the backs of what friends I make?"

Dumbledore put his grandfatherly facade on and said, "I'm sorry you feel that way. But what does that have to do with how you knew Christopher and his friends needed help?"

Hermione snorted, "Not likely. You are the main reason that we feel the way we do. And you haven't helped yourself by trying to feed us loyalty potions, keyed to you, hostility potions keyed to each other and magic inhibitor potions" as she continued speaking, her eyes started to glow a faint gold.

Harry said, "How I knew isn't relevant, but if you really want to know, we have a map." seeing a few people starting to ask questions about it, he said sharply, "No. You can't have it. Make your own. I brought it to your attention because last year, when I went to help, I was chastised for it and realized that my help wasn't wanted, nor was it welcome. So I am leaving everything alone. Magical Britain's problems are not my problems. The leaders of your government have the power to change things but you choose not to. Half bloods and first generation magicals out number the purebloods by nearly five to one, they have the power to demand change, but they don't. I'm not going to waste my time helping people who won't help themselves and who don't want my help."

Dumbledore, trying to go for guilt, asked, "What about when Voldemort comes back? Will you fight for the Light, or let innocents die?"

Harry shrugged. "I won't fight with you, or with them. Riddle is a product of British Magical society. If things continue they way they are, then after Voldemort, another Dark Lord will show up in a few years. It's too easy to gain a foothold here. Eventually, British Magical Society will fall and it will be entirely the society's fault for not demanding the change for the better."

The adults, as well as the three Gryffindors, were dumbfounded.

Finally Flitwick found his voice, "What do you mean, Mr. Daniels?"

Hermione answered for him, "What we mean is, it's easy to play on people's feelings. Voldemort plays at being a pureblood and riles the bigots and racists up. When they attack halfbloods and first generations, their victims learn to mistrust and loathe the purebloods. He doesn't really have to do anything. Really, he only has to make an appearance every so often, to rile the purebloods up and he can just step back and watch you destroy yourselves. Without first generations, the pureblood population will eventually die off. Eventually, they would only have Magical Mundanes being born, or 'squibs' if you prefer."

Harry sighed, "Look, we've told you how we knew what we did and we've told all that we are about who the two people were last night."

Dumbledore immediately answered, "No. I still would like to talk with you."

Both Ravenclaws ignored the irate old man and looked at Flitwick for their answer. The Charms Master nodded his assent and they got up and walked out, without another word to anyone else.

Dumbledore sputtered and started to reprimand his Charms Professor, but Flitwick cut him off. "If you wanted them to listen to you, then you should've done the same for them and not tried to dose them with potions."

X0X0X0X0X0

The rest of the year was quiet. The three Gryffindors quietly thanked them for alerting Lily, though they did it reluctantly, and then left them alone for the rest of the year. Malfoy was furious with Harry for his friends once again putting his father back in prison but said nothing and settled for steady glares. During their spare time, which they had a lot of considering finals were over, Harry and Hermione studied for their mundane exams they would have the first week of summer.

They also made plans to go with their group of friends to see the Quidditch World Cup in August. Harry had already reserved a private box just below the Minster's box. It could hold fifty people and his party would be sharing with another large party, though not nearly as large as his. He had gotten tickets for Miku, Mike, Jammel, his girlfriend and all his friends' parents, who insisted on paying him back when they saw him. The twins and Ginny let them know that their family had plans to go with the Potters. Everyone was disappointed but knew they would still see the three redheads at the Cup.

X0X0X0X0X0

The end of the year had come and Harry, Hermione and their group of friends were on their way back to London, talking about their summer plans. Harry and Hermione were sure to tell their friends that they could send and receive owls during the summer.

Hannah asked, "Why? I thought you guys always are out of the country during the summer?"

Harry nodded, "Usually we are, but because of the World Cup this summer, my family is coming to Britain. We will take our normal trip to France for two weeks but for the rest of the time, we'll be in Britain. You might even see us in Diagon Alley. Ragnok offered to have someone teach us about Warding and Cursebreaking this summer."

The others were gobsmacked. The Director of Gringotts and Warchief of the Goblin Nation offered their friends lessons!

Blaise summed up what everyone was thinking in two words, "Bloody Hell!"

Harry chuckled and Hermione said, "Moving on. We'll definitely teach you guys next year. And be sure to practice turning into different animals but make sure that no one is around to see you, we don't want to answer any awkward question now do we?" she finished smirking.

The others nodded and smiled at the different animals they all wanted to try. Like Harry and Hermione, they had all come up with lists of animals they wanted to turn into by the start of the next school year.

When they got off the train in London, Harry met Lily and the others on the platform. He said goodbye to his little sister and the rest of his former family and went with Hermione to meet her parents. Surprisingly, the Marauders seemed to finally understand that they could not expect him to forgive them and go back to being in their family. They seemed to be leaving him alone and simply told him they hoped he enjoyed his summer. For the first time in three years, Chris Potter, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom let the train station without being cursed.

**A/N: Finally finished this book. This last chapter is longer than any other that I've written (just over 26 pages). Hoped you guys liked it. ON a side note, my beta had to stop because she had many other priorities going on in her life so I am again without a beta. I hope to have the first chapter of the Fourth book up within the next week and a half or so. It may be longer because I have several exams coming up and 2 papers to write. I'll try to get the chapter up as soon as I can. Thank you for all the reviews and keep them up.**


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